The  Winteb  Lamb 


®ije  ^,  p,  ^m  pkarg 


^orti;  QIaroltwa  ^tate  dolkge 


NORTH  CAROLINA  STATE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 


S01 949420  T 


Date  Due 


Cbc  mmr  tmh 


BY 


H.  H.  Miller,  H.  P.  Miller, 

J.  E..  Wing. 


THIRD  KDITION 


MECHANICSBXTRG,     OHIO 

J.    E.    ^VIIVG,    PUBLISHER 

190T 


|6'^  ^' 


PREFACE 


It  has  seemed  to  the  authors  that,  with  all  the  long  list 
of  works  on  sheep,  nothing  quite  met  the  case  of  the  Dorset 
Sheep  under  American  conditions.  This  work  is  the  result 
of  their  experience.  They  have  purposely  given  prominence 
to  things  that  in  their  experience  have  proved  important  and 
slighted  others  that  have  not  seemed  of  much  importance  in 
their  management.  Failures  with  Dorset  sheep  are  usually 
the  result  of  ignorance.  Methods  that  will  result  fairly  well 
with  some  breeds,  for  instance  with  Merinos,,  will  not  do  for 
Dorsets  if  one  wishes  to  get  from  them  their  peculiar  possi- 
bilities in  the  way  of  profits.  Finally  we  submit  this  as  an 
efifort  towards  help  and  feel  that  the  breeder  must  be  a  past 
master  in  the  gentle  art  of  shepherding  not  to  find  some  hints 
here  that  will  be  useful  to  him.  And  we  crave  your  kind  in- 
dulgence if  we  have  slighted  some  things  and  magnified 
others ;  we  have  spent  the  most  time  telling  of  the  turns 
where  we  ourselves  missed  the  ris^ht  turnins^s. 


THE.    DORSET     El  W  E 


^^ 


COUNTY  DORSET  is 
one  of  the  most  southerly 
of  the  counties  of  England. 
It  is  a  warm,  sunny,  shel- 
tered   county,    having   hills 
and    valleys,    arable     lands 
and  pastures.     It  is  one  of 
the    oldest    civilized     parts 
of  England.     Here  the  Ro- 
mans landed ;  here  they  buildeJ  cities  and  walled  them  ;  to- 
day some  of  the  walls  are  standi::g,  and  the  roads  are  often 
as  laid  off  by  them. 

When  the  breed  of  Hern  sheep  was  first  introduced  into 
Dorsetshire  history  does  not  recount.  Doubtless  the  breed 
was  there  in  Roman  days.  It  has  been  there  ever  since.  No 
other  breed  has  been  able  to  supplant  it,  though  at  different 
times  other  sheep  have  been  popular  in  parts  of  Dorsetshire 
for  a  time.  They  have  always  had  to  give  way,  however, 
to  the  old  breed  of  Dorset  Horns.    Whv  is  this  ? 


THE    DAIRY    SlIEKl' 


Go  back  half  a  century  and  more.  Sheep  were  the  dairy 
animals  of  Dorset,  and  parts  of  the  adjacent  counties  of 
Somerset  and  Devonshire.  The  best  milking  ewes  were  se- 
lected, their  ewe  lambs  were  retained.  Already  the  Horns 
were  famous  for  their  milking  qualities.  This  use  intensified 
the  qualities.  From  this  time  and  this  custom  then  comes 
the  wonderful   milkinor  properties   of  the  Dorset  ewe.     *'I 

xmr^l^r^?^   ^  ^      **A8V«Bn  3931100  "wY-v 


6  THE  WINTER   LAMB. 

was  raised  on  Dorset  milk,"  remarked  Dick  Stone  to  the 
writer.  This  milking  trait,  once  so  well  established,  formed 
the  foundation  for  the  somewhat  later  development  of  the 
early  fat  lamb  business. 

THE  EARLY  LAMB. 

Sheep  in  a  state  of  nature  drop  their  lambs  on  grass, 
and  it  is  hard  to  induce  them  to  conceive  to  drop  them 
earlier.  The  Dorset  is  so  much  an  artificial  production,  has 
been  so  long  under  the  moulding  hand  of  its  shepherds,  that 
it  has  lost  this  instinct  and  now  the  lambs  come  in  the  late 
Fall  or  early  Winter  months.  The  shepherds  have  provided 
abundant  winter  food  for  so  long  the  ewes  have  learned  to 
look  for  it ;  the  habit  has  been  so  firmly  fixed  that  Dorset 
ewes  habitually  lamb  in  November,  December  and  January. 
And  they  will  lamb  earlier  than  that  if  rightly  treated.  This 
habit  is'  of  the  utmost  importance  and  value.  It  is  this 
habit  that  gives  the  Dorset  ewe  her  great  value  in  her  native 
land.  There  her  lambs  are  born  out  of  doors,  preferably 
in  the  pretty,  wind-protected  valleys — it  is  a  mild  clime,  in 
these  sheltered  valleys — there  is  generally  some  grass,  there 
are  turnips  and  hay,  and  the  little  lambs  are  fed  with  their 
mothers  upon  our  corn  and  what  they  term  "cake,"  that  is 
oilmeal.  The  little  lambs  grow  prodigiously,  filled  to  burst- 
ing by  their  mother's  milk,  and  eating  grain  like  little  pigs. 
Lambs  in  Dorset  will  even  get  too  fat  to  walk,  as  little  pigs 
will  sometimes  in  our  land.  In  winter  and  early  spring  these 
round,  plump,  sweet,  juicy  lumps  of  baby  mutton  go  to  the 
London  butchers.  They  bring  good  prices,  what  would  be 
considered  fabulous  prices  in  our  country. 

Thus  it  is  that  the  shepherds  of  Dorset  stick  by  their 
Horn  sheep.  It  is,  perhaps,  first  a  sentiment,  it  is  next  a 
matter  of  profit.  No  other  sheep  in  the  world  has  in  it  the 
capacity  for  profit  that  the  Dorset  Horn  has.  And  this  is 
true  in  America  as  well  as  in  her  native  county  of  Dorset. 


THE  WINTER  LAMB. 


GETTING    FALL    LAMBS. 


In  taking  the  Dorset  away  from  her  native  hills  it  must 
be  borne  in  mind  that  you  have  changed  the  conditions  ma- 
teriallv.  To  get  the  same  results  that  have  been  gotten  in 
Dorsetshire  then  you  must  in  some  measure  supply  similar 
conditions.  How  are  we  to  do  this?  Well,  let  us  start 
from  what  we  might  call  a  basis  of  comparison.  In  Dorset- 
shire the  ram  is  usually  coupled  with  the  ewes  during  June 
and  July,  but  in  this  climate  (referring  to  the  Eastern  and 


YEARLING  RAM3 

Middle  States)  that  any  large  and  uniform  success  in  breed- 
ing Dorsets  as  late  as  June  and  July  will  result,  we  think 
improbable.  Why?  Because  it  is  too  hot  then.  Now  most 
seeds  require  great  warmth  to  germinate ;  some,  like  the 
sweet  pea,  prefer  cool  conditions,  so  we  plant  them  early. 
The  same  reasoning  applies  to  sheep.  Their  natural  time 
of  mating  is  fall,  October  and  November,  cool  months.  So 
if  we  want  them  to  breed  in  the  spring  we  should  select  cool 
periods.  This  seems  a  simple  thing.  Yes,  it  is.  And  like 
many  simple  things  is  overlooked.  When  we  started  with 
Dorsets  we  were  told  and  read  they  would  breed  any  time  of 
the  year ;  also,  that  June  was  the  month  to  mate  them  for 
fall  lambs.    We  tried  them  in  June  for  several  seasons,  but 


8  THE   WINTER    LAM  15. 

with  partial  success  only.  This  experience  convinced  us 
that  while  Dorsets  will,  in  isolated  cases,  breed  any  time  cf 
the  year,  that  for  uniform  and  complete  success  t!:c  "any 
time"  must  be  a  time  when  conditions  are  right.  We  were 
now  on  the. true  track  and  realized  that  for  spring  br-cedin^^ 
we  must  select  a  time  as  near  like  the  natural  period  of  fall 
as  possible,  and  (equally  important)  have  the  ewes  as  near 
like  their  naturnl  fall  condition  r.s  possible.  To  meet  these 
desired  conditions  we  suggest  tlie  observance  of  the  follow- 
ing: 

1st. — Have  the  ram  with  ewes  not  earlier  than  middle  of 
]\Iarch,  not  later  than  middle  of  ]\Iay. 

2d. — Put  ram  with  ewes  nights,  not  days. 

3rd. — Use  young  ram,  and  feed  hi::i  well  while  in  service. 

4th. — Do  not  have  ram  too  fat. 

5th. — Do  not  have  ewes  too  thin. 

6th. — If  ewes  were  not  shorn  in  fall,  shear  as  early  as 
you  dare. 

7th. — Feed  ewes  green  food,  such  as  ensilage,  turnips, 
carrots,  mangels,  etc.,  with  some  corn. 

If  ewes  lambed  previous  fall  and  are  dry,  this  feed  is 
not  necessary  until  a  few  weeks  before  you  are  to  put  the 
ram  with  them.  But  no  matter  what  the  condition  of  ewes, 
no  matter  what  you  have  been  feeding,  increase  the  quantity 
at  this  time.  For  remember  that  during  fall  a  ewe  is  nat- 
urally gaining  flesh,  while  during  spring  the  tendency  is  to 
lose  flesh.  Reverse  this  tendency  as  far  as  a  little  feed  will 
do  it,  and  make  that  extra  food  as  nearly  "green  as  grass" 
as  you  can.  And  remember,  never,  XE\'ER  let  lambs  be>^ 
born  later  than  April  or  before  September.  Separate  your 
rams  from  your  ewes  the  first  of  November.  Any  ewes  not 
with  lamb  then  will  breed  for  next  fall  and  late  lambs  are 
of  little  value  as  a  rule  and  to  be  discountenanced  among 
Dorsets. 


TIID".   WINTER    LAMB. 


GETTING  THE  PROFITS. 


I  have  mentioned  the  feeHng  of  sentiment  that  doubt- 
less contributes  to  the  persistency  with  which  the  shepherds 
of  Dorsetshire  cling  to  their  favorite  breed.  In  our  country 
there  is  Httle  of  sentiment  in  sheep  breeding;  we  are  newer 
at  the  business  ;  we  have  an  immense  expanse  of  land ;  a 
varied  climate,  and  nearly  all  breeds  of  sheep  in  all  parts  of 
the  country.  There  is  none  of  that  confining,  of  a  certain 
breed  to  a  certain  county,  or  even  state  or  section.  And 
it  is  this  faith  in  the  breeding  of  one  kind  of  sheep  by  the 
inhabitants  of  a  limited  area  that  creates  sentiment.  But 
of  profit — well,  if  all  haven't  it,  all  want  it.  And  I  say 
again,  no  breed  has  a  greater  capacity  for  profit  than  the 
Dorset.  Properly  understood,  and  consistently  handled  on 
the  basis  of  such  understanding,  a  small  flock  will  surely 
add  a  pleasing  sum  to  the  annual  income,  while  a  good 
sized  flock,  such  as  the  average  farm  of  the  Eastern  and 
Middle  States  could  surely  carry,  will  represent  a  good  liv- 
ing. For  instance,  I  know  of  one  man  who  for  years  has 
realized  about  $2,000  annually  from  a  flock  of  about  100 
ewes.  This  is  equal  to  the  sales  from  a  good  sized  dairy,  yet 
the  cost  of  feed  and  labor  would  be  much  less.  Surely  as 
an  early  lamb  raiser  the  Dorset  is  a  money  maker.  When 
you  have  studied  the  breed  and  business,  make  a  start,  you 
will  then  realize  fully  the  pleasures  and  profits. 

RYE  AND  OATS  PASTURE. 

Here  is  a  combination  that  will  furnish  most  excellent 
fall  pasture.  And  how  the  ewes  and  lambs  will  relish  it ! 
Winter  rye  is  often  pastured  in  the  spring;  but  with  oats, 
sown  as  a  catch  crop  on  odd  bit  of  ground,  it  is  especially 
certain  and  cheap  as  a  fall  pasture.  Unlike  rape,  rye  will 
grow  on  poor  land,  while  oats  in  the  fall  will' grow  wherever 
they're  dropped.     Everyone  can  find  a  place  for  a  few  acres. 


lO 


THE   WINTER  LAMB. 


If  no  other  available  land,  after  corn  is  cut,  run  cultivator 
or  riding  harrow  over  corn  stubble  and  sow  broadcast.  If 
your  corn  is  cut  clean,  not  too  many  ears  lying  on  the  ground, 
you  can  turn  in  few  hours  each  day  before  husking;  how- 
ever this  practice  requires  watchfulness,  for  while  it  will 
take  the  lambs  a  long  time  to  discover  and  eat  com  ears, 
the  ewes  will  soon  nose  them^  out  and  if  left  too  long  at  a 
time  may  eat  too  many.  When  they  do  get  to  eating  them, 
if  you  leave  them  all  day,  you'll  very  likely  find  a  dead  ewe 
or  so  at  night.  Some  may  say,  why  not  pasture  a  regular 
crop  of  rye  and  not  bother  with  this  extra  piece?     Well, 


you  can ;  we  have  ourselves,  but  the  practice  has  many  ob- 
jections. The  crop  may  not  be  much  injured  if  it  has  good 
top,  the  young  timothy  (usually  sown  with  winter  rye) 
will  though,  and  then  the  ground  will  be  compacted  so  as  not 
to  be  in  as  good  condition  for  clover  seeding  the  following 
spring.  It  is  much  better  to  have  a  piece  by  itself,  you'll 
get  tw^o  or  three  times  the  amount  of  feed  from  it  and  won't 
worry  over  possible  injury.  Just  make  up  your  mind  to 
have  it  and  you'll  find  the  land.  Sow  any  time  during 
September,  use  twice  as  much  rye  as  oats,  put  on  thick,  not 
less  than  three  bushels  to  the  acre.  When  up  so  as  to  look 
green  and  grassy  turn  on,  don't  be  afraid,  as  there  is  no 
more  risk  than  with  grass.     It  is  good  practice  though,  with 


THE  WINTER  LAMB.  II 

any  special  fall  pasture,  to  turn  on  grass  first  for  a  few  hours. 
Your  other  pasture  will  last  longer,  and  your  sheep  will  do 
better. 

SUMMER  CARE  OF  PREGNANT  EWES. 

Good  summer  care  is  a  very  simple  matter.  Three  things 
are  necessary,  grass,  water,  shade.  In  the  matter  of  grass, 
either  good  native  pasture  or  a  run  in  clover  or  alfalfa  will 
do.  There  is  this  danger  of  clover  or  alfalfa  pasture  for  the 
ewe  not  giving  suck  to  a  lamb,  she  is  apt  to  become  too  fat. 
There  is  nothing  equal  to  blue  grass  at  this  period.  But  in 
using  it  one  should  remember  the  danger  of  parasitic  infec- 
tion that  comes  from  the  use  of  blue  grass.  We  will  speak 
of  this  later.  Water  should  be  clean,  as  fresh  as  possible  to 
supply,  kept  in  raised  troughs  that  can  not  become  fouled 
with  excrem.ents.  There  is  danger  of  parasitic  infection 
from  the  drinking  water.  This  is  especially  true  when  the 
cheep  are  required  or  allowed  to  suck  up  their  drink  from 
marshy  seeps,  tiny  streams,  grass-bordered  or  stagnant  pools. 
The  excrements  roll  down  and  pollute  the  water,  the  germs 
that  they  doubtless  contam  are  hatched  there,  the  sheep  take 
lliem  in  agani  end  in  ever  increasing  numbers.  And  while 
mature  ewes  w"ill  not  often  pine  away  and  die  as  lambs  will, 
yet  none  the  less  is  it  weakening  to  them  to  be  preyed 
upon  by  these  internal  parasites.  Not  only  stomach-worms 
but  tape-worms  are  spread  by  the  too  continual  use  of  pas- 
tures. It  is  a  safe  rule  never  to  stock  a  pasture  to  its  capac- 
ity with  sheep.  Better  always  keep  half  on  it  what  it  would 
carry  and  graze  it  also  with  cows,  or  perhaps  horses. 

SHADE. 

You  may  depend  upon  it  that  your  flock  will  seek  shade 
and  will  need  it.  If  you  are  wise  you  will  train  them  to 
come  to  the  barn,  or  to  sheds,  where  they  will  get  the  most 
comfort  and  their  droppings  will  be  under  cover.   There  are 


12 


THE    WINTER   LAMB. 


two  things  gained  by  this.  The  manurial  value  of  the  drop- 
pings is  saved,  whereas  if  they  are  piled  year  after  year 
beneath   forest  trees  they  do  you  very  little  good,  and  the 


danger  of  infecting  the  land  is  much  reduced.  I  know  of 
fields  where  ewes  always  lie  along  the  old  fences  seeking 
shade.      There   is   a   strip   of   very   rich,    rank   grass   along 


THE   WINTER   LAMB.  I3 

these  fences.  This  grass  is  deadly  to  lambs  and  dangerous 
to  ewes  because  of  the  parasites  that  it  harbors.  The  lamb 
is  often  hungry.  He  lies  down  a  little  while,  then  jumps  up, 
goes  a  little  way  and  nibbles  the  grass.  He  takes  in  the 
germs  and  perishes  from  them  in  due  time.  This,  if  there 
was  no  other  reason,  would  lead  me  to  condemn  the  prac- 
tice of  allowing  ewes  to  shade  along  fences. 

PUMPKIN    FEEDING. 

As  fall  comes  on  the  grass  is  perhaps  short  and  dry 
and  there  is  room  for  some  artificial  feeding.  Of  all  the 
substances  that  may  be  grown  and  fed  to  ewes  and  lambs 
in  the  fall  none  compare  with  pumpkins.  First,  they  may 
be  grown  so  cheaply.  Our  practice  is  to  grow  them  in  the 
corn  where  they  are  a  catch-crop  of  almost  clear  profit.  We 
find  it  necessary  to  plant  a  great  many  seeds  in  order  to  get 
what  pumpkins  we  need,  owing  to  the  ravages  of  the  small 
striped  bug,  and  this  is  the  only  secret  we  have  ever  ob- 
served in  getting  a  crop  of  pumpkins.  Certainly,  they  need 
rich  soil.  In  feeding  we  never  remove  the  seeds  as  they  are 
the  ricbest  parts  and  the  part  that  give  to  pumpkins  their 
great  value  to  the  shepherd.  Pumpkin  seeds  are  among 
the  best  vermifuges  known.  They  destroy  and  expel  tape 
worms,  and  I  think  clear  out  many  forms  of  worms  ;  certainly 
I  do  know  that  you  may  take  an  old  ewe,  her  skin  white, 
her  eye  dull,  every  appearance  of  her  being  diseased,  feed 
her  all  the  pumpkins  she  will  eat  for  a  few  weeks  and  she 
will  renew  her  youth.  When  we  have  them  in  abundance 
we  haul  them  out  by  the  ton,  simply  strewing  them  about 
the  pastures  and  allowing  the  sheep  to  gnaw  into  them  at 
their  pleasure. 

CARE    IN    PUMPKIN    FEEDING. 

Like  many  another  good  thing,  however,  pumpkin  feed- 
ing may  be  carried  too  far.     There  I:  danger  that  the  preg- 


H 


THE   WINTER   LAMB. 


nant  ewe  may  become  too  fat  if  allowed  all  the  pumpkins 
she  will  eat.    This  is  the  only  danger  and  the  remedy  is  easy. 

PUMPKINS  FOR  MILKING  EWES. 

After  the  little  lambs  come  is  the  time  when  pumpkins 
come  in  good  play.  There  is  nothing  so  good  for  the  milk- 
ing ewe.  Soon,  too,  the  little  lamb  will  begin  to  nibble  them. 
They  will  do  him  no  harm,  though  he  will  need  stronger 
food  with  them,  grain  of  some  sort.  These  pumpkins  will 
keep  indefinitely,  and  may  be  used  until  about  Christmas.  I 
give  this  much  space  to  the  pumpkin  because  it  is  of  such 
easy  culture  and  surely  no  farmer  who  is  keeping  sheep  need 
try  to  do  without  tliis  help. 

THE   RAPE   PLANT. 

Quite  often  rape  will  be  a  great  help, 
[f  a  small  field  can  be  sown  early  to  tide 
over  the  hot,  dry  part  of  summer  and 
fall  it  will  be  of  great  use,  and  it  may 
be  sown  in  the  corn  at  the  time  of  last 
cultivation  where  it  will  to  a  large  extent 
keep  down  weeds  and  after  the  corn  is 
cut  it  will  come  on  if  the  season  is  favor- 
a  lot  of  fall  and  early  winter  pas- 
be  necessary  to  haul  away  the  corn 
before  sheep  can  be  turned  in,  as  they  soon  learn  to  hunt 
for  the  ears  and  gorge  themselves.  In  truth  in  cutting  the 
corn,  or  in  husking  it  from  the  stalky  unusual  care  should 
be  taken  not  to  let  too  much  corn  remain  scattered  on  the 
ground.  Dorset  ewes  have  the  sharpest  eyes  and  the  best 
appetites  of  any  sheep  and  will  glean  every  ear  before  they 
do  much  else.  There  is  danger,  of  course,  of  their  getting 
too  much  corn.  Rape  is  generally  safe  feed,  though  there  are 
times  when  it  will  bloat  the  ewes.  It  is  not  usually  safe  to 
allow  them  to  remain  constantly  on  it  for  they  will  become 


able, 


and    make 
^      It    will 


THE   WINTER   LAMB.  I5 

too  fat.  This  is  not  true  after  lambing.  We  have  seen 
them  bloat  to  distress  on  rape  but  have  never  had  any  die, 
and  there  is  prol)ably  little  danger  from  feeding  it  at  any 
time.  It  should  never  be  turned  on  when  frozen,  not  that 
it  will  hurt  the  ewes  so  much  but  each  leaf  that  is  bent  or 
disturbed  when  frozen,  will  be  killed  and  wasted.  It  takes 
a  cold  of  about  12  degrees  to  kill  rape.  In  selecting  a  field 
for  rape  good  land  should  be  chosen  and  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  ewes  will  need  to  run  thereon  when  it  is  moist 
so  that  if  it  is  a  field  of  clay,  apt  to  pack  hard,  it  may  be 
unwise  to  sow  to  rape.  If  the  sheep  are  taken  off  at  Christ- 
mas, however,  there  will  generally  be  time  for  frost  to  liven 
up  the  packed  land. 

"Rape  may  be  sown  with  oats,  barley,  winter  rye  or 
wheat.  If  sown  with  winter  rye  or  wheat,  harrow  the  rye 
field  in  early  spring  and  sow  about  two  pounds  of  rape 
seed  per  acre,  harrowing  lightly  again  after  the  seed  has 
been  sown.  Such  harrowing  will  usually  be  helpful  to  the 
rve  crop.  Rape  seed  can  be  sown  with  oats  or  barley,  but 
if  this  is  done  the  growth  of  rape  is  liable  to  become  so  rank, 
especially  if  the  season  is  a  wet  one,  that  the  plants  will 
grow  as  tall  as  the  oats  or  barley.  When  this  happens  trou- 
ble occurs  at  harvest  time  owing  to  the  green  rape  plants 
being  cut  and  bound  in  the  sheaves,  causing  them  to  rot 
under  the  bands.  The  following  is  a  better  plan :  Eight  or 
nine  days  after  sowing  the  oats  or  barley,  when  the  young 
grain  plants  are  three  or  four  inches  high,  run  a  slant-tooth 
harrow  over  the  field  to  loosen  the  soil.  Then  seed  two  or 
three  pounds  of  rape  and  harrow  lightly  again.  By  seeding  in 
this  way  the  grain  crop  has  so  much  the  start  of  the  rape  that 
the  latter  is  kept  small  and  spindling  until  grain  is  harvested. 
After  harvest  the  rape  plants  getting  the  benefits  of  sun  and 
moisture  begin  to  grow,  and  in  good  season  the  field  will 
soon  be  covered  with  green  forage.  Rape  seed  can  be  sown 
broadcast  any  time  from  April  until  August.    For  broadcast 


£6 


THE   WINTER   LAMB, 


seeding  prepare  the  land  as  for  oats  and  sow  three  or  four 
pounds  of  seed  per  acre  and  harrow  in  lightly.  Land  on 
which  rape  is  sown  broadcast  should  be  comparatively  free 
from  weed  seeds  and  in  good  condition  generally." — Henry. 

CARE   OF    I-WLI.   AND    WINTER    LAMBS. 

Fall  lambs  come  strong  and  can  look  after  themselves ; 
there  is  little  or  no  trouble  with  the  ewes,  the  most  important 


A  GOOD  TYPE 

thing  is  to  watch  their  udders,  for  they  have  full  ones  at 
that  time.  We  make  a  practice  of  putting  the  ewes  on  thin 
pasture  a  few  weeks  before  the  laml)s  are  due,  then  as  fast 
as  they  drop  the  lambs  we  take  them  to  the  barn,  where  they 
are  kept  for  a  few  days,  getting  a  bite  of  hay  and  a  bit  of 
grain.  As  soon  as  the  lambs  take  all  the  milk,  the  ewes  can 
be  put  en  full  pasture  of  grass,  rye  and  rape,  until  snow  flies. 
One  thing  to  bear  in  mind  is,  these  lambs  should  never  get 
wet ;  fall  storms  are  not  like  summer  showers,  and  they  are 
very  severe  on  young  lambs,  even  the  heavy  dews  of  fall 
nights  where  the  pasture  is  tall  and  heavy  should  be  avoided. 


THE   WINTER  LAMB. 


17 


For  this  reason  and  also  because  it  is  safer  for  the  ewes,  pas- 
ture the  rye,  rape  and  new  seeding  of  grass  during  the  day, 
and  put  them  on  the  short  grass  at  night.  The  best  way  of 
all  is  to  bring  them  to  the  barn  for  over  night;  they  will 
have  shelter  in  case  of  sudden  storm,  and  anyway  when  the 
lambs  are  a  few  weeks  old  you  will  want  to  teach  them  to 
eat  grain ;  the  barn  is  the  place  to  do  this.  They  should 
have  a  room  or  space  all  to  themselves ;  it  should  be  shut 
off  from  the  main  building  by  a  door  that  slides  up  and 
down.  This  door  should  have  a  space  for  a  creep  that  can 
be  opened  and  shut  independent  of  the  door.  When  all  the 
lambs  are  in  their  room,  shut  the  door  and  make  them  stay 
there  until  they  have  eaten  all  their  feed.  The  creep  can 
then  be  opened  so  they  can  run  in  and  out  to  nibble  at  the 
hay.  This  method  is  much  more  effective  in  results  obtained 
than  using  the  creep  alone.  With  the  latter  only  many  of  the 
lambs,  especially  the  younger  ones,  will  spend  most  of  their 
time  creeping  in  and  out,  while  the  others  eat  all  the  feed  or 
muss  what  they  do  not  eat.  Another  advantage  with  Dorsets 
is  that  fewer  horns  are  broken,  the  lambs  never  rushing  and 
crowding  through  the  creep.  It  is  very  easy  to  teach  the 
lambs  to  go  into  their  own  room.  At  first  you  may  have  to 
catch  a  few,  but  they  will  soon  learn  to  run  right  in,  one  fol- 
lowing the  other. 

The  time  the  ewes  and  lambs  can  run  on  pasture  will  oi 
course  vary  Vvath  the  seasons.  But  as  long  as  they  are  on 
pasture  one  feed  of  grain  per  day  will  be  sufficient.  And 
the  way  the  lambs  will  grow  with  the  pasture  and  the  one 
feed  will  be  a  revelation  to  all  who  have  only  handled  spring 
lambs. 

GRAIN    FEEDING   BEF.ORE    LAMBING. 

If  ewes  are  in  good  heart  it  is  never  necessary  to  feed 
grain  before  lambing  unless  in  small  amounts.  It  is  not 
often  sale  to  feed  much  grain  to  the  pregnant  Dorset  ewe. 


THE   WINTER   LAMB.  I9 

The  result  of  too  much  grain  feeding  is  apt  to  be  a  weak 
lamb,  hard  to  induce  to  live,  whereas  Dorset  lambs  are,  when 
their  mothers  are  rightly  managed,  the  strongest  lambs  in 
the  world.  Dorsets  are  hungry  sheep.  They  will  always,  if 
not  sick  eat  everything  before  them.  There  is  no  sheep  with 
a  better  appetite  or  digestion.  The  inexperienced  shepherd 
is  quite  apt  to  over-feed  them.  Good,  sound  clover  or  alfalfa 
hay  is  quite  good  enougli  for  the  pregnant  ewe  after  green 
stuffs  are  gone.  Let  her  have  a  plenty  of  it.  If  you  must 
feed  some  grain  to  keep  her  in  iiesh  because  of  the  badness 
of  your  hay,  feed  oats  and  bran,  equal  parts  by  weight. 
There  is  no  sheep  easier  kept  in  flesh  if  she  is  not  worm- 
infested.  If  she  is  cared  for  as  she  should  be  she  will  not 
be  that. 

HOUSING. 

It  is  not  well  to  keep  the  pregnant  ewe  very  closely 
housed.  She  ought  to  have  a  good  run  and  every  day  when 
it  is  not  actually  storming  she  should  be  out.  Sometimes  the 
run  of  a  dry  feed-lot,  with  coarse  fodders  to  pick  over  in 
the  vard  will  l)e  sufficient,  and  this  course  has  the  advantage 
of  the  flock  being  always  in  view  and  stray  lambs  being 
born  are  apt  to  be  seen.  With  others  a  bit  of  grass  of  ten 
acres  or  more,  not  too  closely  grazed  in  the  fall,  will  be  pro- 
vided and  on  this  the  ewes  will  take  a  great  deal  of  pleasure 
and  get  quite  a  good  deal  of  nourishment.  They  must  at 
all  times  be  in  the  mind  of  their  shepherd,  for  lambs  may 
be  iDorn  out  on  the  grass  or  in  the  snow,  but  you  must  not 
let  this  fear  deter  you  from  giving  them  their  daily  run  out 
of  doors.  It  must  not  be  thought,  however,  that  because 
a  certain  amount  of  outdoor  life  is  good  no  shelter  at  all  is 
better.  A  comfortable  barn  is  needed,  and,  in  truth,  in  the 
Northern  states  indispensable. 

SHEDDING. 

A  comfortable  shelter,  closed  tight  on  the  north,  west 
and  east  sides,  with  chance  to  open  well  on  the  south  and 


20  THE   WINTER    LAMB. 

preferably  with  considerable  glass  where  it  will  let  in  the 
sun,  is  what  you  need.  It  need  not  be  an  expensive  structure. 
It  is  better  to  have  storage  for  hay  above.  There  must  be 
ample  provision  for  fresh  air  to  come  in  from  the  south,  so 
that  cold  blasts  will  not  come  with  it.  Let  there  be  a  yard 
attached,  preferably  on  the  sunny  side,  ^^'ater  may  be  in 
the  barn,  or  in  the  yard  unless  in  a  very  cold  country.  Every 
night  the  flock  should  be  confined  to  their  barn.  It  will  be 
found  that  the  lambs  will  mostly  come  in  the  night.  And  if 
the  doors  are  open  it  will  generally  be  found  that  the  ewes 
will  come  to  the  barn  to  drop  their  lambs.  Too  close  shut- 
ting in  will  work  harm  to  the  flock.  Too  much  exposure  will 
cost  you  their  thrift  and  the  loss  of  some  lambs  in  severe 
weather.  In  the  South,  Dorsets  thrive  with  no  shelter  at 
all  save  that  aflforded  by  hill,  tree  and  shrub.  Yet,  in  general, 
it  will  be  found  that  it  will  take  less  feed  and  the  flock  will 
keep  in  better  condition  to  shelter  them  especially  from  all 
rains  in  cold  weather. 

WINTER    FEEDS ENSILAGE. 

There  is  great  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the  value  of 
ensilage  for  sheep,  or  rather  to  be  more  accurate,  the  diiler- 
ence  of  opinion  is  more  as  to  whether  it  can  be  fed  with 
safety,  for  the  ensilage  itself  is  generally  admitted  to  oe  a 
good  feed.  Some  sheep  feeders  will  not  use  it  at  all ;  some 
of  our  experiment  stations  condemn  it  as  a  sheep  feed.  For 
our  part,  we  have  fed  it  for  many  years  to  both  lambs  and 
ewes,  and  consider  it  both  safe  and  of  much  value,  especiallv 
so  for  ewes  with  lambs  by  side.  But  it  must  be  used  ^^ith 
judgment,  which  means  not  to  feed  too  much  or  too  often. 
Our  practice  is  to  feed  once  a  day  during  winter  or  cold 
weather  only ;  we  take  daily  from  the  silo  the  amount  of  a 
day's  feed,  put  it  by  itself  and  let  it  remain  for  a  few  hours 
until  it  becomes  cool  to  the  touch.     Late  in  the  spring  or 


THE   WINTER    LAxMlJ.  21 

during  hot  weather  we  would  not  feed  it  to  sheep.  Also,  let 
sheep  feeders  beware  of  it  when  taken  from  near  the  jjottom 
of  the  silo;  it  is  then  very  wet  and  chuck  full  of  acidity,  a 
slow  poison  for  sheep.  You  don't  need  a  silo  in  the  sheep 
business,  but  you  can  use  one  if  you  have  it  and  want  to.  If 
you  keep  Dorsets  they  will  thrive  without  ensilage,  so  will 
you. 

ROOTS. 

Sheep  without  roots  !  Hamlet  without  the  Ghost !  Car- 
rots, turnips,  mangels,  there  is  no  question  about  the  value 
and  safety  of  this  trio.  I  name  them  in  the  order  of  their 
excellence  as  sheep  feed.  I  might  add  that  carrots  are  the 
hardest  to  grow,  the  best  to  feed ;  turnips  the  easiest  to 
grow,  the  most  universally  fed  ;  mangels  the  surest  to  grow, 
the  poorest  to  feed.  They  all  need  rich  ground,  all  will  do 
better  on  a  rather  heavy  soil,  but  you  can  get  a  good  crop 
from  light  soil  well  enriched.  Carrots  should  be  sown  about 
corn  plainting  time  in  rows  two  and  a  half  feet  apart,  the 
rows  slightly  ridged,  this  ridging  facilitates  weeding,  makes 
easier  pulling ;  sow  quite  thick  to  insure  good  stand,  as  they 
are  shy  starters  ;  when  up  a  few  inches  thin  with  a  broad 
hoe,  leaving  little  bunches  between  strokes  of  hoe ;  thin  these 
bunches  by  hand  to. one  plant.  After  this  there  is  little  work. 
Use  the  large  stock  varieties,  not  the  table  carrot.  Turnips 
can  be  sown  from  middle  of  June  to  middle  of  July  in  rows 
two  and  one-half  or  three  feet  apart,  either  flat  or  ridged 
high  ;  sow  them  thin  but  even  ;  they  are  quick,  easy  starters ; 
when  well  up,  thin  at  once  (don't  let  'em  get  big)  with  hoe  to 
one  plant  twelve  or  fifteen  inches  apart.  An  occasional  cul- 
tivation afterwards  is  all  that  is  needed.  Use  the  Swede 
varieties.  Mangels  should  be  sown  early  in  the  spring;  sow 
same  as  turnips,  only  thicker,  as  they  are  slow  to  start  and 
many  seeds  will  not  sprout  if  a  bit  dry ;  care  for  them  same 
as  turnips,  but  thin  farther  apart.     The  ew^s  and  especially 


22  THE  WINTER   LAMB. 

the  lambs,  will  be  crazy  for  the  carrots,  and  you  are  not  apt 
to  have  enough  to  feed  too  many.  They  will  eat  the  turnips 
eagerly,  too,  and  many  shepherds  think  you  can't  feed  them 
too  many ;  we  have  had  large  experience  in  feeding  turnips, 
having  used  them  in  unlimited  quantities  for  ewes,  rams  and 
lambs.  We  think  pregnant  ewes  can  be  fed  too  many,  and 
that  it  is  better  to  limit  them  to  one  moderate  feed  per  day 
until  after  lambing,  when  they  can  safely  have  as  many  as 


.»..#/: 


^R  ■  ^T  :il 


ra"l_,    i 


i^'  ^> 


they'll  eat.  Mangels  contain  the  most  water  of  the  three, 
and  are  rather  chilly  eating  on  a  cold  winter's  day ;  they  are 
perhaps  the  best  keepers,  though,  and  are  very  acceptable  to 
sheep  in  late  spring,  although  we  have  the  idea  they  do  not 
like  them  as  well  as  turnips,  and  know  that  carrots  are  ''pie" 
to  them  compared  with  mangels.  Care  must  be  used  in  feed- 
ing mangels  to  rams,  as  in  quantity  they  have  deleterious 
effect  upon  the  bladder.  If  you  keep  Dorsets,  grow  ^ome 
kind  of  roots.  Dorsets  are  the  alchemists  among  sheep,  and 
will  turn  them  into  gold  for  you. 


THE  WINTER  LAMB.  23 

CLOVERS  AND  LEGUMES. 

You  are  engaged,  now,  in  making  milk  and  baby  flesh. 
Each  is  largely  composed  of  protein,  to  produce  which  you 
must  feed  protein.  That  means  to  buy  large  amounts  of 
wheat  bran,  gluten  feed  or  oil  meal,  or  it  means  to  produce 
your  own  protein  supply.  You  can  do  this  most  easily  by 
growing  red  clover,  alfalfa,  soy  beans  or  cow  peas. 

ALFALFA. 

This  is  the  richest  and  most  easily  grown  hay  in  the 
world.  Sheep  love  it.  It  is  the  best  maintenance  ration 
for  ewes  before  lambing  in  winter  and  the  best  basis  for  any 
combination  of  feeds  for  them  after  lambing.  And  almost 
anyone  can  grow  it  who  has  sheep.  The  reason  is  that  it 
requires,  MUST  have,  rich  soil,  and  sheep  make  manure 
that  will  enrich  that  soil.  Take  an  acre  or  two  as  a  begin- 
ning, on  dry,  pervious  soil,  where  it  is  dry  and  firm  in 
winter,  apply  manure  liberally,  plow  deep  in  early  spring, 
work  down  to  a  good  tilth  and  sow  one  or  two  bushels  of 
spring  beardless  barley  to  the  acre  and  15  pounds  of  alfalfa 
seed.  Cover  the  seed  lightly.  Roll  it  if  not  too  moist.  Cut 
the  barley  for  hay  or  grain  and  mow  the  alfalfa  close  once 
or  twice  that  summer  after  the  barley  is  taken  ofif.  Keep 
all  stock  ofif  during  cold  or  wet  weather ;  in  fact,  keep  them 
ofif  at  all  times  for  the  first  two  years.  You  will  now  have 
a  set  of  alfalfa  that  will  give  you  from  three  to  eight  tons 
per  acre  the  second  year  and  for  many  years  thereafter. 
Mow  the  alfalfa  as  soon  as  bloom  appears  in  the  spring  and 
at  intervals  of  about  thirty-five  days  thereafter.  And  sow 
another  acre  or  two  as  you  get  the  manure  and  the  experi- 
ence. Woodland  Farm  began  ten  years  ago  with  an  acre 
and  now  cuts  nearly  250  tons  yearly  besides  pasturing  a  good 
deal. 

There  is  absolutely  no  danger  in  feeding  alfalfa  hay,  but 


THE   WINTER    LAMB.  25 

there  is  need  of  care  in  pasturing  green  alfalfa.  The  danger 
comes  from  bloat  and  that  is  the  result  of  indigestion,  caused 
by  the  animals  eating  too  greedily  of  the  delicious  green 
feed.  We  let  the  alfalfa  grow  up  about  twelve  inches  tall, 
then,  w^hen  the  sheep  are  full  of  green  grass,  and  at  about 
ten  o'clock,  when  the  sun  is  warm,  turn  them  into  the  alfalfa. 
Thev  remain  there  constantly  except  that  they  come  to  the 
barn  to  shade  during  the  heat  of  the  day.  They  go  back 
as  soon  as  they  care  to  graze.  Treated  in  this  way,  we  have 
had  no  loss  from  bloat,  but  have  had  magnificent  results  in 
development  of  our  young  sheep.  Caution. — After  frost 
alfalfa  should  never  be  grazed,  as  it  is  apt  to  cause  indiges- 
tion and  death.  There  is  no  crop  that  will  return  so  much 
feeding  value  per  acre  as  alfalfa,  if  you  are  on  alfalfa  land, 
or  will  take  the  trouble  to  make  your  land  alfalfa  land.  If 
your  land  is  deficient  in  lime  it  should  be  well  limed  after 
it  has  been  well  manured  ;  lime  alone  will  not  make  alfalfa 
land  of  it.  If  it  is  based  on  shale,  close  to  the  surface,  it 
may  not  pay  to  sow  alfalfa,  which  roots  cjuite  deep. 

RED  CLOVER. 

What  will  secure  a  stand  of  alfalfa  will  also  secure  a 
stand  of  red  clover,  though,  as  it  is  a  biennial,  it  need  not  be 
expected  to  remain  in  the  soil  more  than  two  seasons.  It 
has  a  rich  nutritive  value  and  should  always  be  cut  for 
sheep  before  the  heads  are  brown. 

SOY   BEANS. 

In  the  Northern  states  the  soy  bean  is  a  rich  gift.  Planted 
in  drills  about  22  inches  apart,  cultivated  once  or  twice,  cut 
with  a  binder  and  threshed,  they  yield  from  15  to  30  bushels 
per  acre  of  extremely  rich  beans,  which  will  go  far  towards 
balancing  a  ration.     Sheep  are  very  fond  of  these  beans,  and 


26 


THE  WINTER   LAMB. 


also  of  the  leaves  and  stems,  if  saved  without  rain.  John  B. 
Peelle,  who  is  a  leading  hot-house  Dorset  lamb  producer  re- 
lies greatly  on  his  soys  and  saves  immensely  in  his  feed  bill 


READY  FOR  NEW  YORK  AND  GOOD  FOR  $10.00 
(From  Peelle's  Place) 

thereby,  besides  producing  $10.00  lambs  in  abundance, 
early  varieties  north. 

cow    PEAS. 


Sow 


In  the  Southern  states  and  along  the  border  there  are 
regions  where  neither  red  clover  nor  alfalfa  are  to  be  de- 
pended upon  and  where  soils  need  building  up  to  fit  them  for 
other  crops.  Here  the  cow  peas  come  in  exceedingly  well. 
They  are  great  soil  builders,  rich  in  protein,  make  good  sum- 
mer or  winter  forage  and  are  the  great  reliance  of  the  South- 


THE  WINTER   LAMB.  27 

ern  shepherd.  Cow-peas  sown  among  ensilage  corn  help  to 
balance  that  ration;  sown  among  soiling  crops  of  rape  or 
sorghum  serve  to  balance  them  and  enrich  the  soil  at  the 
same  time.  They  must  not  be  sown  until  after  the  land  is 
warm  in  the  spring. 

CANADA  FIELD  PEAS. 

There  is  sometimes  a  confusion  of  terms.  The  Canadian 
field  peas  are  much  like  ordinary  garden  peas,  and  must  be 
sown  very  early,  on  good  soil,  with  oats  or  barley  as  a  soiling 
or  pasture  crop.  Cow-peas  are  really  beans,  must  be  sown 
late,  will  grow  on  soil  that  will  not  produce  Canada  peas. 
The  Canada  peas  and  barley  make  an  ideal  soiling  feed,  or 
the  lambs  may  run  through  creeps  and  eat  the  mixture,  and 
will  thrive  thereon  first  rate.  The  advent  of  hot,  dry  weather 
finishes  the  Canada  peas,  however. 

PUTTING  THE  LAMBS   FORWARD. 

A  good  old  English  practice  is  to  hurdle  the  field  with 
creeps  so  that  the  lambs  may  "run  forward"  of  their  mothers, 
thus  getting  the  first  bite  of  the  fresh  feed.  From  time  to 
time  the  hurdles,  or  panels  of  movable  fence,  are  moved  up 
and  the  lambs'  ewes  clean  up  what  the  lambs  have  been  over. 
This  is  a  good  way  to  make  fine  lambs  at  small  expense  and 
to  keep  them  free  from  parasites.  The  best  of  all  for  the 
babies  always. 

SHEARING. 

There  is  no  sheep  easier  to  shear  and  shear  well  than 
the  Dorset.  The  wool  cuts  easily;  the  operator  can  as  well 
as  not  leave  a  smooth,  close-cut  surface.  The  machines  work 
well  on  Dorset  sheep,  and  some  of  the  best  American  flocks 
are  shorn  by  machines  altogether.  The  use  of  the  machines 
is  most  discouraging  to  ticks,  which  are  almost  certainly 
cut  in  two  and   destroyed.     Care  should   be  taken  not  to 


28  THE   WINTER   LAMB. 

shear  too  close  after  flies  are  troublesome,  as  there  is  not 
enough  wool  to  protect  the  sheep  after  the  machine  shear  has 
been  over  her  back.  The  last  week  in  Alarch  or  early  in 
April  is  a  good  time  to  shear  the  flock ;  in  warm  climates  it 
is  often  well  to  shear  again  in  late  August.  This  double 
shearing  does  not  make  much  more  wool,  perhaps  no  more 
at  all,  but  it  is  a  relief  to  the  overburdened  sheep. 


MARKING. 

The  English  method  of  marking  by  branding  figures  in 
the  horn  is  a  good  one  but  slow,  and  necessarily  the  horn 
must  first  grow  so  that  some  means  of  marking  the  lambs 
must  be  adopted.  Ear  labels  of  various  sorts  are  on  the 
market,  and  all  are  open  to  the  objection  that  they  lose  out. 
Some  breeders  use  the  tattoo  mark  with  success,  though 
others  fail  in  using  it.  The  secret  of  success  with  the  tattoo 
mark  is,  first,  see  that  the  jaws  are  exactly  pandlel.  They 
may  be  made  so  by  careful  use  of  the  file.  The  points  of  the 
letters  should  indent  evenly  a  thick  piece  of  paper.  Next, 
plenty  of  India  ink  should  be  used.  The  points  should  be 
firmly  pressed  in  and  immediately  the  ink  must  be  rubbed 
into  the  wounds.  The  advantage  of  the  tattoo  mark  is  that 
it  does  not  deface  the  ear,  is  absolutely  permanent  and  can 
not  be  transferred  by  any  trickster  from  one  sheep  to  an- 
other.   Tattoo  markers  are  made  by  F.  S.  Burch,  178  Mich- 


THE   WINTER   LAMB.  29 

igan  Street,  Chicago,  111.    The  first  cost  is  rather  heavy,  but 
in  the  long  run  there  is  a  saving,  as  the  ink  is  cheap. 

WEANING. 

Don't  be  in  a  hurry  to  wean  lambs  that  are  to  be  kept. 
There  is  nothing  like  mother's  milk,  unless  it  is  more 
mother's  milk !  Let  the  lambs  have  access  to  all  the  bran 
and  oats  they  can  eat ;  all  the  green  feed  and  the  mother's 
milk,  too.  You  can  shorten  the  time  of  development  at  least 
one  year  by  liberal  feeding.  It  takes  less  feed  to  make  a 
sheep  if  it  is  fed  in  one  year  than  if  it  had  been  fed  in  two 
years.  When  the  lambs  are  separated 
from  their  mothers  take  away  the  ewes ; 
the  lambs  fret  very  little.  If  there  is  yet 
milk  in  the  ewes  remove  it  a  few  times, 
not  quite  clean. 

DIPPING. 

"A  man  ought  to  bathe  once  a  year, 
whether  he  needs  it  or  not."  So  of  the 
sheep.  Dip  them  once  a  year,  whether  they  netd  it  or  not. 
There  are  almost  surely  a  few  ticks,  maybe  a  few  lice  on 
them.  Dipping  costs  but  a  trifle.  Provide  a  steel  tank, 
galvanized.  Sink  it  in  the  floor  of  your  sheep  house.  When 
not  in  use  cover  it  with  good  planking.  A  tank  six  or  eight 
feet  long  will  answer  for  a  small  flock,  and  as  they  are  all 
narrow  it  takes  but  little  stuft*  to  fill  them.  Have  the  draining 
pen  long  and  narrow,  so  that  as  the  sheep  walk  up  one  at  a 
time  they  may  be  let  out  ahead.  Pen  with  movable  hurdles 
or  panels.  Half  a  day  with  three  active  men  will  dip  a  flock 
of  a  hundred.  The  carbolic  dips  are  safe  and  good.  There 
is  no  profit  in  ticks,  though  there  is  much  money  in  them,  at 
present ! 

MATING. 

"The  sire  is  half  the  herd  ;  if  he  is  a  poor  one  he  is  all  of 
it."     Get  a  vigorous  sire.     Do  not  think  too  much  of  size. 


30  THE   WINTER  LAMB. 

Look  that  he  is  active,  muscular,  aHve  all  over.  See  that  he 
is  big  through  the  heart.  See  that  he  has  a  straight  back,  a 
well  sprung  rib,  a  good,  short,  straight  leg.  See  that  his 
horn  is  strong,  well  turned.  See  that  his  neck  is  thick  and 
muscular.  Have  him  well  wooled  all  over.  Study  your  scale 
of  points.  Don't  quibble  about  the  price,  but  be  a  stickler  for 
quality.  If  he  is  not  right  you  will  regret  it  all  your  life, 
maybe,  for  it  takes  ten  years'  weeding  to  undo  one  year's 
bad  breeding.  And  every  year  send  to  the  butcher  the  ewes 
that  vou  know  are  inferior. 


THE  WINTER   LAMB. 


SCALE,  OF  POINTS, 


Adopted   by   Continental    Dorset   Club. 


HEAD — neat,  face  white,  nostrils  large,  well  covered 

on  crown  and  under  jaws  with  wool 5 

HORNS — small  and  gracefully  curving  forward  rather 

close  to  jaw c; 

EYES — prominent  and  bright   2 

EARS — medium  size,  covered  with  short  white  hair ....        2 

NECK — short,  symmetrical,  strongly  set  on  shoulders, 

gradually  tapering  to  junction  of  head 5 

SHOULDERS — broad  and  full,  joining  neck  forward 
and  chin  backward,  with  no  depression  at  cither 
point  (important) 15 

BRISKET — wide  and  full,  forward,  chest  full  a::d  deep       8 

FORE  FLANK — quite  full,   showing  little  depression 

behind  shoulder 8 

BACK  AND  LOIN— wide  and  straight,   from   which 

ribs  should  spring  with  a  fine,  circular  arch 10 

QUARTERS — wide  and   full,   with  mutton  extending 

down  to  hocks = 10 

BELLY — straight  on  under  line 3 

FLEECE — medium  grade,  of  even  quality,  presenting 
a  smooth  surface  and  extending  over  bellv  and 
well  down  on  legs 12 

GENERAL  CONFORAIATION— of  the  mutton  type. 
body  moderately  long;  short,  stout  legs,  placed 
squarely  under  body,  skin  pink,  appearance  at- 
tractive   .    .  ,  .  , I  ^ 


Total 


100 


3?  THE  WINTER   LAMB. 

DISEASES  OF   SHEE,P, 


THIS  is  not  meant  for  a  scientific 
discussion  of  diseases  and  remedies  ;  it 
is  merely  an  effort  to  group  the  com- 
mon ailments  under  their  common 
names  in  alphabetical  order.  The 
remedies  given  are  tried  ones  and  the 
directions  brief  and  simple,  just  as  if 
we  were  talking  to  each  other.  Where  there  is  no  prac- 
tical, tried  remedy  known,  no  attempt  is  made  to  appear 
erudite  by  naming  possible  ones.  In  such  cases  prevention 
is  indicated,  which  after  all  is  the  Great  Sheep  Remedy. 


ABC  Ailments  and   Remedies. 

Abortion — Strictly  speaking  this  is  not  a  disease,  but  the  re- 
sult of  disease  or  accident.  Among  sheep  it  is  seldom 
epidemic.  If  the  contagious  form  appears  the  cause 
must  be  ascertained  in  order  to  apply  any  remedy  for 
checking  the  spread.  In  cases  of  epidemic  abortion  you 
should  get  the  advice  of  a  veterinary.  Individual  cases 
are  mostly  the  result  of  crowding  the  animals  through 
narrow  spaces;  rough  handling;  fright  or  injury  from 
any  cause. 

Braxy — This  is  a  disease  of  sheep ;  but  the  term  is  so 
variously  applied  in  different  sections  that  it  is  not  wise 
to  specify  causes  or  remedies. 

Bloating — Give  tablespoonful  baking  soda,  and  half  table- 
spoonful  ground  ginger  in  pint  of  water.  Fasten  mouth 
open  with  band  of  straw  or  piece  of  corn  cob ;  straddle 
the  animal  and  gently  but  regularly  knead  or  work  the 
extended  sides.    Use  the  trocar  as  a  last  resort. 


THE   WINTER  LAMB. 


33 


Barren  Ewes — Too  much  flesh  is  usually  the  cause.  Force 
constant  exercise:  reduce  feed  for  month  or  more  be- 
fore breeding;  then  feed  liberally. 

Choking — Give  small  doses  of  linseed  oil,  and  work  throat 
gently  with  hand.  As  a  last  resort,  bunch  securely  a 
rag  on  end  of  piece  of  whalebone  or  other  flexible  sub- 
stance, oil,  and  push  carefully  down  throat. 

Casting  the  Withers— See  Prolapsus  Uterus. 


HOW  THEY  RUSTLE,  SNOW  OR  NO  SNOW. 

Diarrhea-Scours— Give  teaspoonful  to  tablespoonful  castor 
oil  to  suckling  lambs.  For  older  sheep  change  pasture  or 
feed.  Protracted  cases  can  be  helped  by  giving  handful 
wheat  flour  in  feed.  Diarrhea  of  weaned  lambs  and 
mature  sheep  is  often  caused  by  worms ;  also  by  certain 
weeds  in  pasture  or  hay.  In  such  cases  the  cause  must 
be  removed. 

Docking— Use  the  docking  irons  or  pinchers.  About  a  week 
old  is  good  age  to  operate.  But  if  the  lambs  are  strong 
any  age  from  few  days  to  fortnight  will  do. 


34 


THE    WINTER    LA:MB. 


Foot  Rot — Cut  carcfull}'  away  every  particle  of  the  diseased 
part,  and  ajiply  salve  made  of  blue  stone  and  lard.  Tie 
coarse  bagging  around  foot  to  keep  salve  on  and  dirt 
out.  AV'hen  the  rot  extends  into  the  flesh  above  the  hoof, 
wash  with  a  50  to  i  solution  of  carbolic  acid,  and  apply 
powdered  burnt  alum.  Running  sheep  through  fresh 
slaked  lime  watered  to  the  consistency  of  paste  is  great 
preventive  of  foot  rot.  Dry  lime  put  around  feeding 
and  watering  places  is  helpful  also. 

Garget — This  often  follows  neglected  caked-bag,  particularlv 
apt  to  if  ewe  is  exposed  to  wet  and  cold.  If  udders  are 
properly  looked  after  at  lambing  and  weaning  time  it 
will  seldom  occur.  For  general  treatment  see  Caked- 
Bag. 

Goitre — There  is  no  known  remedy  that  will  prevent  this 
serious  trouble.  Fortunately  it  seems  to  be  prevalent 
only  in  certain  parts  of  this  country.  As  it  is  hereditary, 
afifected  animals  should  never  be  used  for  breeding  pur- 
poses.   Iodine  will  reduce  the  swellings. 

Constipation — For  sucking  lambs  give  castor  oil,  teaspoonful 
to  tablespoonful,  according  to  age  and  severity  of  trou- 
ble. For  mature  sheep  use  epsom  salts,  4  to  6  ounces  in 
pint  of  warm  water.  Xever  give  salts  when  there  is 
evidence  of  pain.  Substitute  raw  linseed  oil,  or^  better 
yet,  castor  oil.  The  use  of  stimulants  in  small  quantities, 
such  as  brandy,  gin  or  whisky,  will  increase  the  action 
of  the  cathartics. 

Castration — From  two  to  four  weeks  old  is  convenient  and 
safe  age  to  operate.  Apply  an  antiseptic  after  opera- 
tion, such  as  the  carbolized  non-poisonous  sheep  dips. 

Colds — Give  teaspoonful  carbonate  iron,  as  much  quinine  as 
nickel  will  nicely  take  up,  and  wine-glassful  of  whisky. 
Repeat  every  other  day  for  a  week  or  so. 

Caked-Bag— Keep  udder  milked  out,  and  do  not  allow  ewe  to 


THE   WINTER   LAMB. 


35 


be  exposed  to  cold  and  wet.  Apply  to  udder  a  lini- 
ment made  by  mixing  i  quart  tincture  of  arnica,  6 
ounces  tincture  of  belladonna,  and  4  ounces  spirits  of 
camphor.  Rub  on  vigorously  with  palms  of  hands.  If 
a  ewe  has  a  very  large,  extended,  hard-feeling  udder 
before  lambing,  do  not  hesitate  to  milk  it  out  some. 
Never  change  suddenly  from  low  feeding  to  high  feed- 


CROSS-BRED  DORSET-SHROPSHIRE  LAMBS. 
Ready  for  Market  on  Woodland  Farm. 


ing  in  a  Dorset  ewe;  the  result  is  apt  to  be  caked-bag. 
Too  much  corn  feeding  is  inducive  to  this  trouble. 

Grub  in  the  Head — This  term  is  usually  applied  to  a  grub  that 
is  laid  alive  in  the  sheep's  nostrils  by  the  Sheep  Gad  Fly, 
during  the  hot  months  of  summer.  The  grub  works  its 
way  upwards,  causing  much  distress  and  "snotty  noses." 
There  is  no  complete  cure.  The  preventives  are  any  con- 
trivances that  help  the  animal  to  escape  the  fly.  Tar  on 
the  nose  repels  the  fly ;  but  it  is  a  difficult  thing  to  keep 
the  noses  always  tarred.     Shady  places  and  strips  of 


36  THE   WINTER   LAMB. 

plowed  ground  to  lie  on,  and  long  grass  are  helps  to  the 
sheep.  Death  seldom  results,  but  great  distress  and 
worry  does.  These  grubs  cannot  possibly  reach  the  head 
proper  or  brain  cell.  There  is  a  grub,  though,  that  gets 
there  by  way  of  the  spinal  canal.  There  is  no  practical 
cure  for  this  kind  of  grub  in  the  head.  It  is  sure  death 
to  the  animal.  A  skillful  surgeon  might  resort  to 
trepanning,  but,  aside  from  the  expense,  this  would  be 
a  doubtful  operation,  as  often  the  grubs  are  three,  four 
or  more  in  number,  and  lodged  in  different  parts  of  the 
brain  cell,  so  all  could  not  be  removed. 

Gid  or  Staggers — Some  authorities  call  grub  in  the  head  by 
this  name,  as  in  its  advanced  stages  the  sheep's  brain  is 
affected  and  it  staggers  about.  These  symptoms  follow 
the  grub  in  the  head  proper,  not  the  grub  in  the  nostrils, 
which  commonly  goes  by  the  name  of  grub  in  the  head. 
There  are  several  ailments  which  cause  sheep  to  stagger 
and  stumble,  and  each  of  them  is  often  called  by  this 
name.  Highly  fed  sheep  will  sometimes  accumulate 
blood  too  fast,  and  it  will  go  to  the  head,  causing  this 
staggering  symptom.  Generally  when  the  sheep  acts 
this  way  it  is  surely  going  to  die,  no  matter  what  the 
cause. 

Hoose  or  Husk — Another  name  for  lung  disease.  See 
Paper  Skin  for  treatment. 

Impaction — Young  suckling  lambs  are  subject  to  this,  espe- 
cially the  richly  nourished  ones.  The  milk  becomes  hard 
or  impacted  in  the  intestines.  When  a  fat  lamb  hangs 
its  ears  and  mopes  around  it  is  verv  likely  impaction. 
Give  tablespoonful  castor  oil;  if  this  does  not  move  the 
bowels,  give  injection  of  warm  soap  suds.  For  mature 
sheep  give  wheat  bran,  with  little  salt,  made  into  a 
mash.  For  severe  cases,  two  or  three  ounces  each  of 
raw  linseed  oil  and  molasses  will  make  a  strong  purga- 


THE   WINTER    LAMB. 


37 


tive.     jMatiire  sheep  are  not  subject  to  this  ailment  if 
fed  at  all  properly. 
Inflammation  of  the  Stomach-  -This  may  follow  neglected 
cases  of  impaction.    The  sheep's  evidence  of  distress  and 
pain  in   the  stomach  will  indicate  this  trouble.     Two 


ounces  castor  oil,  with  half  ounce  of  laudanum,  will  re- 
lieve somewhat  the  pain.  If  there  is  fever,  as  is  prob- 
able, five  to  ten  drops  of  aconite  will  be  of  help.  Keep 
all  feed  away  for  day  or  so,  and  then  feed  lightly  of 
succulent,  laxative  food. 

Knotty  Guts — See   Xodular  Disease. 


38  THE   WINTER    LAMB. 

Liver  Flnke — This  is  a  disease  of  the  Hver  caused  by  internal 
parasites.  In  its  advanced  stage  it  is  hopeless  to  give 
medicines.  The  source  of  infection  must  be  ascertained 
and  destroyed  or  sheep  removed  from  same.  The  drink- 
ing of  stagnant  water  is  common  cause. 

Lice — L'se  any  of  the  standard  sheep  dips  as  directed.  Dal- 
matian powder  applied  with  powder  gun  is  effective  for 
red-headed  louse. 

Lung  Disease — This  is  a  disease  of  the  lungs  caused  by  in- 
ternal parasites.  Some  writers  refer  to  it  as  paper  skin. 
The  animals  lack  bloody  the  skin  looks  white,  also  the 
lips  and  eyeballs  under  the  lids.  As  with  most  other 
internal  parasites,  there  is  no  known  cure  for  this.  For 
general  treatment  of  anaemic  condition  see  Paper  Skin. 

Nodular  Disease — Knotty  guts :  This  is  a  disease  caused  by 
internal  parasites.  x\n  examination  of  the  intestines  will 
reveal  numerous  little  tumors  or  knots  growing  to  same. 
Alany  sheep  are  more  or  less  aft'ected  with  this,  and  no 
apparent  harm  results.  At  times  and  in  certain  sections 
it  is  very  destructive.  Xo  positive  remedy  is  known. 
All  that  can  be  done  is  to  give  extra  care,  change  of  pas- 
ture, and  avoidance  of  any  possible  source  of  infection. 
This  disease  is  more  common  and  fatal  in  the  South  than 
in  the  Xorth. 

Paper  Skin — Properly,  this  is  the  name  for  lung  disease. 
Generally,  though,  it  is  applied  to  sheep  in  an  anaemic 
condition,  and  this  condition  is  the  result  of  various 
diseases.  There  is  a  lack  of  blood  in  the  system,  causing 
the  skin  to  appear  white  and  lifeless  like.  Carbonate  of 
iron  is  a  blood  builder,  and  a  tonic  of  this  with  equal 
parts  each  ground  ginger  and  gentian  is  very  excellent 
for  the  anaemic  condition.  A  tablespoonful  of  the  mix- 
ture once  a  dav  in  feed  for  a  week  or  so.  A  sheep  in 
good  health  has  a  pink,  inviting  skin.     When  the  skin 


TIIK    ^^■IXTER    LAMB.  39 

gets  pale  or  white  it  is  a  sure  sign  of  some  ailment.  As 
soon  as  this  symptom  appears  start  at  once  and  give 
extra  care  and  attention,  and  feed  with  above  tonic. 
Prolapsus  Uterus — Falling  or  protruding  of  the  womb.  Many 
cases  called  this  are  merely  the  inversion  of  the  vagina — 
literally  the  turning  inside  cut  of  the  lining  membrane. 
The  rectum  also  sometimes  protrudes.  Give  laxative 
foods.  Thoroughly  cleanse  the  protruding  parts,  anoint 
with  raw  linseed  oil  \\ith  little  laudanum  in  it,  knead 
gently  and  return.     Give  internal! v  four  ounces  of  raw 


linseed  oil  with  tablespoonful  of  laudanum.  If  above 
is  not  successful  after  a  few  trials,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  fix  straps  or  harness  so  as  to  hold  the  protruding  parts 
in  for  a  few  days. 

Rheumatism — Young  lambs  are  occasionally  affected  with  a 
stiffness  and  lameness  of  joints.  It  may  be  lamb  founder ; 
but  m  early  spring  is  apt  to  be  caused  by  lambs  lying  on 
cold,  damp  ground.  Keep  yards  well  bedded  with  corn 
stalks  or  other  roughage,  so  lambs  cannot  lie  on  bare 
ground. 

Scours — See  Diarrhea. 

Scab — Use  any  of  the  standard  dips  as  directed. 

Sore  Mouth— Rub  scab  off  and  apply  a  non-poisonous  car- 


40  THE   WJXTER   LAMB. 

bolic  sheep  dip.  Powdered  burnt  alum  is  also  effective 
where  it  can  be  made  to  remain  on.  The  seat  of  this 
trouble  makes  it  difficult  to  apply  remedies.  It  will, 
however,  usually  disappear  of  itself. 

Sore  Eyes — Cleanse  with  warm  water  and  drop  little  witch- 
hazel  in  and  around  e}es. 

Gcum  on  Eyes — Usually  will  disappear  without  treatment. 
Introduction  of  any  substance  to  cut  the  scum  is  cruel 
practice  of  very  doubtful  necessity.  Relief  can  be  given 
by  washing  as  for  sore  eyes. 

Snotty  Xose — A  symptom  of  Grub  in  the  Head  or  a  Bad 
Cold.     For  treatment  see  both  these  headings. 

Swelling  Under  the  Jaw — This  is  not  a  disease,  but  the 
symptom  of  several  ailments.  Often  it  accompanies  an 
anaemic  condition.  For  general  treatment  see  Paper 
Skin. 

Scanty  Urine — Rams  and  wethers  may  have  trouble  in  mak- 
ing water.  Give  from  one-half  to  one  ounce  sweet  spirits 
of  nitre;  put  pinch  of  powdered  saltpetre  in  feed  for 
several  days.     Do  not  feed  mangels. 

Stone  in  the  Bladder — This  is  another  ailment  of  lambs  and 
wethers.  Like  goitre,  it  seems  to  be  largely  confined  to 
certain  sections  of  country.  There  is  no  positive  cure 
for  this  ailment.  ^Mangels  cause  it,  and  aggravate  mild 
cases,  so  they  should  not  be  fed  in  any  great  quantity. 

Stomach  Worms — There  are  many  kinds  of  stomach  worms. 
Usually,  though,  the  term  is  applied  to  the  strongylus 
contortus,  among  lambs,  one  of,  if  not  the  most  fatal 
of  all  internal  parasites.  An  eft"ective  remedy  is  ben- 
zine or  gasoline  given  in  sweet  milk  for  three  consecu- 
tive days.  A  dose  is  from  teaspoonful  to  tablespoonful. 
according  to  age  of  lamb.  Add  to  each  dose  about  half 
glass  of  sweet  milk.     Shake  well  together.     Shut  lambs 


THE   WINTER    LAMB. 


41 


Up  over  night  so  as  to  give  on  empty  stomach.  Have  as- 
sistant set  lamb  on  rump  when  you  give  the  medicine, 
and  be  sure  he  holds  head  in  natural  position  for  the 
posture,  otherwise  strangulation  may  result.  See  chap- 
ter on  Parasites. 

Xicks— Use  any  of  the  standard  dips  as  directed. 

Tape  Worm — At  times  and  in  some  localities  this  worm 
proves  very  destructive.  Ordinarily,  though,  a  few  tape 
worms  seem  to  be  a  necessary  accompaniment  of  a  lamb  s 
o-rowth  and  do  no  harm.  If  numerous  thev  can  be 
expelled  with  any  recognized  vermifuge,  such  as  pow- 
dered araca  nut  in  one  to  two  dram  doses  on  empty 
stomach.  Follow  in  from  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours 
with  a  cathartic.     Pumpkins  arc  good,  as  the  seeds  act 


as  vcrmifrge. 


42 


THE   WINTER    LAMB. 


LAMB  FOUNDER. 

There  is  a  peculiar  dis- 
ease of  lambs  that  causes 
them  to  become  very  stiff 
in  their  joints.  It  may  at- 
tack one  joir.t  or  all  the 
limbs  may  be  affected.  They 
he  around  a  great  deal  an  1 
move  painfully.  They  sel- 
dom die,  but  are  checked 
sadly  in  their  development. 
The  cause  of  this  distress- 
ing ailment  is  to  be  sought 
in  the  ewe.  She  has  been 
unwisely  fed.  ]\Iost  prob- 
ably she  has  been  allowed 
to  gorge  herself  on  grain, 
^1  or  her  feed  has  been 
changed  abruptly  from  a 
light  ration  to  a  heavy  one. 
This  creates  indigestion  and  a  peculiar  poison  in  her  system 
that  shows  itself  most  in  the  lamb.  There  is  no  cure  but 
time,  and  an  avoidance  of  the  contributing  causes.  So  far 
as  we  have  observed  a  high  feeding  of  corn  is  most  apt  to 
cause  this  disorder. 

While  the  suckling  ev,e  should  be  well  and  even  highly 
fed,  she  should  never  be  changed  suddenly  from  a  light  ra- 
tion to  a  heavy 
ance  of  corn. 


The  Lambs  so  Gentle  the  Girls  Pet  Ther 


one,  nor  should  she  ever  have  a  large  allow- 


BROKEN    HORNS 


may  cause  the  death  of  the  lamb.  Sometimes  a  sort  of  blood- 
poison  sets  in  that  causes  the  head  to  swell  so  that  the  eyes 
are  even  swelled  shut.  There  is  no  help  for  it  but  time 
after  the  infection  has  occurred,  but  if  at  once  when  the 


THE   WINTER   LAMB. 


43 


horn  is  noticed  to  be  broken  the  stub  be  smeared  with  some 
carboHc  sheep  dip  there  will  be  no  infection  and  no  bad  re- 
sults. One  should  plan  his  pen  so  far  as  possible  to  be  tight 
and  smooth  so  as  not  to  catch  and  break  the  horns,  which 
are  very  tender  at  a  certain  stage  of  development. 

DOCKING    TAILS. 

There  is  but  one  right  way  to  dock  tails,  that  is  with 
the  docking  pinchers  made  by  F.  S.  Burch,  178  Michigan 

Street,  Chicago,  111.  These  iron 
pinchers  are  heated  to  redness 
and  the  tails  severed  ;  no  bleed- 
ing occurs,  and  the  tails  may  be 
made  very  short.  This  is  best 
done  at  about  ten  days  of  age. 
If  there  are  flies  a  smear  of  tar 
or  sheep  dip  will  deter  them  un- 
til the  wound  is  healed.  It 
heals  very  quickly  when  the 
pinchers  are  used.  Take  a  board 
six  inches  square,  bore  an  inch 
hole  through  the  middle  of  it,  tlirust  the  tail  through  thib 
hole  and  cut  as  close  as  you  can.  The  board  holds  the  tail 
and  prevents  scorching  the  lamb. 

CASTRATION. 

For  the  winter  market  to  go  from  their  mothers'  sides 
it  does  not  matter  whether  the  lambs  are  castrated  or  not. 
Some  growers  always  castrate,  others  never  do.  It  is  prob- 
able that  if  the  castration  is  done  carefully  and  soon  enough 
the  lamb  may  fatten  faster  than  if  his  testicles  were  left  in. 
The  castration  of  lambs  a  week  old  or  less  is  a  simple  mat- 
ter ;  the  end  of  the  scrotum  is  cut  off,  the  testicles  drawn  out, 
cord  and  all.  a  little  lard  and  turpentine  placed  in  the  wound 
and  in  a  short  time  the  wound  is  healed. 


44 


THE  WINTER   LAMB. 


Later  in  the  season,  when  ram  lambs  have  been  let  go 
and  some  have  turned  out  badly  and  are  not  fit  for  breeding 
rams  they  are  hard  to  castrate  without  loss,  but  the  docking 
pinchers  may  be  used  again,  taking  off  the  entire  scrotum, 
as  you  would  dock  the  tail.  I  have  never  seen  ill  results 
follow  this  operation,  and  have  castrated  rams  six  years  old 
in  this  manner.  Care  should  be  observed  to  have  the  pinch- 
ers quite  hot. 

SORE  MOUTH. 

There  is  a  contagious  sore  mouth  that  affects  lambs  and 
sometimes  sheep.  Warty  scabs  form  on  the  lips  and  nose, 
making  it  difficult  for  the  lambs  to  eat.     Similar  sores  appear 


.'^il' 


A  Gra::e  "  Rent  P^yer." 

on  the  ewe's  teats.  The  cure  is  simple.  Rub  off  the  scales 
and  apply  some  carbolic  sheep  dip.  ^lilk-oil,  made  by  F.  S. 
Burch,  1/8  Michigan  Street,  Chicago,  has  proved  eft'ective 
in  the  experience  of  the  writer,  and  one  application  has 
always  been  sufficient.  There  is  another  form  of  this  sore 
mouth  that  is  confined  to  the  lambs.  It  is  more  difficult  to 
cure,  but  after  running  its  course  will  quickly  disappear. 

SORE  EYES. 

The  -.^/ntagious  sore  eyes  that  sometimes  appear  among 
the  flock  in  Winter  ^.^2  also  easily  and  quickly  cured  by  a 


THE   WINTER   LAMB.  45 

tiny  drop  of  sheep  dip  dropped  in  the  eye.  It  should  be  di- 
kited  about  ten  times  with  water  and  not  only  a  little  allowed 
to  penetrate  the  eye,  but  the  face  should  be  scrubbed  with  it, 
especially  wherever  the  tears  have  run  down  the  cheeks. 
There  is  no  excuse  for  allowing  these  and  similar  petty  dis- 
eases to  spread  and  become  formidable ;  a  little  watchful  care, 
a  little  disinfecting  with  carbolic  dip,  and  the  disease  is  cured 
and  its  spread  stopped.  ]\Iilk-oil,  or  some  similar  carbolic 
preparation,  should  always  be  at  hand  in  a  bottle ;  or,  better, 
an  oil-can  on  a  shelf  in  the  sheep  barn. 

INTERNAL  PARASITES. 

Would  it  were  as  easy  to  keep  the  inside  of  a  sheep 
clean  as  the  outside.  Unfortunately  this  is  not  so.  Sheep 
suffer  greatly  from  a  number  of  internal  parasites,  but  in 
America  the  chief  and  almost  only  important  one  is  the  tiny 
stomach-worm.  The  lambs  that  are  dropped  in  fall  and 
kept  on  clean  pastures  until  cold  weather  are  seldom  trou- 
bled with  these  pests ;  the  lambs  dropped  early  in  winter  and 
fattened  and  sold  before  June  are  safe,  but  the  late  lambs 
that  must  run  with  their  mothers  on  grass  are  apt  to  become 
affected.  The  symptoms  are  a  general  lack  of  thrift,  a 
sunken  condition  of  the  fleece,  a  paleness  of  the  skin,  the 
eating  of  earth  and  rotten  wood,  a  slight  cough,  sometimes 
scours,  at  other  times  constipation,  emaciation  and  often 
death. 

One  should  never  see  a  lamb  die  on  his  place  without 
dissecting  it  to  learn  the  cause.  If  it  is  stomach-worms,  they 
may  be  easily  found  in  the  small  fourth  stomach,  the  place 
where  the  intestines  begin.  Stomach-worms  are  small,  hair- 
like worms,  about  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long,  twisted  in 
the  middle,  from  which  they  take  their  name,  Strongylus 
Con  tortus.  They  may  be  present  in  sheep  having  apparent 
good  health ;  they  may  even  in  small  numbers  distress  the 


46  THE   WINTER   LAMB. 

lambs ;  they  may  be  found  in  immense  multitudes,  blocking 
the  intestinal  canal.  They  seem  to  greatly  disturb  the 
digestion  and  assmiilation,  and  no  lamb  will  thrive  with  these 
pests  within  him. 

The  infection  is  nearly  always  from  the  grass  or  from 
stagnant  water  fouled  by  sheep's  excrements.  The  ewes 
are  apt  to  be  slightly  afifected,  the  worms  discharge  immense 
numbers  of  eggs,  perhaps  at  all  seasons,  certainly  in  spring 
and  summer.  The  immature  worms  in  some  way  cling  to 
the  grass  and  are  taken  in  by  the  lambs  when  grazing.  In 
some  mysterious  way  nature  aids  the  older  and  stronger 
sheep  to  throw  ofif  most  of  these  pests,  while  the  smaller  and 
weaker  lambs  become  affected  very  easily.  The  lesson  is 
that  all  small,  grassy  yards,  where  sheep  love  to  lie  and 
where  the  grass  is  thick  and  tender,  are  unsafe,  almost  surely 
fatal  to  the  lambs.  Unfortunately  the  short,  sweet  grasses, 
such  as  Kentucky  blue-grass  and  white  clover,  are  the  very 
worst  and  most  dangerous  from  the  point  of  infection,  as 
the  sheep  bite  them  so  close.  Red  clover,  alfalfa,  orchard 
grass,  bromus-inermis,  tim^othy,  oats  and  barley  and  rape,  are 
all  bitten  higher  Lip,  and  there  is  much  less  risk  of  infection. 
Also  in  soiling  sheep  there  is  hardly  any  danger  if  the  racks 
are  not  soiled  by  the  sheep  excrements.  On  Woodland  Farm 
there  has  been  a  notable  decrease,  almost  a  disappearance  of 
this  pest,  since  alfalfa  pasture  has  been  the  main  reliance. 
It  is  also  a  good  plan  to  let  the  sheep  shade  in  the  barn,  as 
then  their  droppings  are  not  soiling  the  grass  about  some 
shady  tree,  where  the  grass  will  grow  up  rank  and  sweet 
and  be  nibbled  at  by  the  unsuspecting  lambs  with  fatal  re 
suits.  Care  should  at  all  times  be  taken  that  the  sheep  should 
not  drink  from  stagnant  pools  or  small,  slow  streams  fouled 
by  the  droppings.  Troughs  are  much  the  safest  watering 
places,  and  they  should  be  kept  clean. 

As  to  medication,  it  should  be  prompt  upon  the  first  sign 
of  infection.     The  old   remedy  of   turpentine   and  milk   is 


THE   WINTER    EAMB. 


47 


Dorset  and  Shrop  Blood  Mingled. 


rarely  effectual.  It  is  not 
worth  administerine. 

The  only  thin<^s  that 
have  seemed  tu  do  good 
are  Toxaline,  a  prepara- 
tion made  by  F.  S. 
Bnrch,  of  Chicago,  and 
gasoline  or  Ijenzine, 
which  was  discovered  by 
M.  Julienne,  in  France, 
and  first  introduced  by 
us  into  America.  In  case 
infection  is  discovered  it 
Be  careful  not  to  strangle 


is  wise  to  treat  the  entire  flock 

the  sheep  by  rough  or  too  hasty  drenching 

Either  benzine  or  gasoline  may  be  used.  The  dose  is  two 
teaspoonfuls  to  a  50-lb.  lamb,  mixed  with  four  ounces  of 
either  sweet  milk  or  thin  flaxseed  tea  (cold),  well  shaken 
together.  Give  after  fasting  for  16  hours.  Be  careful  not 
to  strangle  by  pouring  down  too  fast  or  getting  in  windpipe. 
Repeat  the  dose  daily  for  three  days.  It  has  no  ill  effects 
on  the  health  of  well  lambs,  and  is  sure  to  remedy  the  droop- 
ing ones  if  stomach  worms  are  the  cause  of  their  illness 
Dose  the  old  sheep  as  well.  They  will  take  a  tablespoonful* 
Better  to  use  a  5c  measuring  glass  (sold  at  druggists)  rather 
than  try  to  measure  in  a  spoon,  which  holds  an  uncertain 
amount. 


GRADE  DORSET   EWES. 

While  pure-bred  Dorsets  are  extremely  profitable  to 
those  who  will  give  them  care,  and  while  there  must  of  course 
be  breeders  of  registered  stock  to  supply  the  need  of  Dorset 
rams,  yet  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  grade  ewe  is  the 
rent-payer,  the  money-maker,  and  in  common  hands  more 


48  THE   WINTER   LAMB. 

prolitable  than  the  pure-bred  ewe.  Indeed,  there  are  some 
curious  things  about  the  grade  ewe.  If  she  is  a  Merino 
grade,  from  large,  roomy  Merino  ewes  and  blocky,  vigorous 
Dorset  ram,  she  will  prove  a  surer  breeder,  if  possible,  than 
the  pure-bred  Dorset  ewe.  In  truth,  not  many  growers  of 
winter  hothouse  lambs  but  prefer  Dorset  grades  from  the 
Alerino  foundation  to  any  other  ewe,  the  pure-bred  ewe  not 
excepted.  These  ewes  are  again  bred  to  pure-bred  Dorset 
rams,  and  the  result  is  a  very  blocky,  easily  fattened  lamb, 
born  at  the  right  season  and  ripe  for  the  right  market.  These 
grade  ev/es  are  great  milkers  and  hardier  than  pure-bred 
ewes,  and  altogether  more  desirable  for  mutton-makers. 
There  will  come  a  time  when  ranchmen  will  make  a  specialty 
of  producing  ewes  of  this  type,  as  there  is  already  a  demand 
for  them  in  all  the  early  lamb-producing  regions,  and  they 
are  hard  to  buy.  These  grade  Dorset  ewes  will  continue 
profitable  for  at  least  ten  years  and  often  longer. 

Another  very  profitable  grade  Dorset  ewe  is  the  Dorset- 
Shropshire  grade.  This  is  a  magnificent  ewe,  lambs  early, 
but  not  quite  so  regularly  as  the  Dorset-Merino,  is  a  better 
mother  than  the  Shropshire,  with  more  milk.  Ewes  of  this 
cross  are  becoming  quite  common  now.  They  are  usually 
white  or  light  brown  in  face  and  hornless.  Sometimes  the 
three-quarter  blood  Dorset-Shropshires  have  horns.  These 
are  better  ewes  than  the  first  cross,  having,  indeed,  many  of 
the  best  characteristics  of  the  pure-bred  Dorsets. 

USING    GRADE    RAMS. 

However  profitable  grade  ewes  may  be,  it  is  never  safe 
to  use  grade  rams.  They  will  revert  in  unaccountable  ways 
to  remote  ancestors,  and  there  is  simply  no  telling  what  the 
product  will  be. 

Of  grade  Dorsets  John  B.  Peelle,  a  famous  hothouse  lamb 
grower,  says  : 

"The  grade  Dorset  with  me  is  not  a  question  of  senti- 

PROPERTY  OF 

K*  M.  COLLEGE  LIBRARY. 


THE   WINTER    LAMB. 


49 


ment,  but  one  of  business.  The  questions  I  ask  of  a  ewe 
are:  Can  you  produce  lambs  in  November  or  December? 
Can  you  produce  one  or  more  at  a  time?  Can  you  provide 
the  lambs  with  an  abundance  of  milk,  so  that  they  will  be 
ready  for  market  in  sixty  or  seventy  days?  It  is  only  the 
ewe  that  can  answer  to  all  these  questions  'yes'  that  is  at  all 
desirable  as  a  mother  of  hothouse  lambs." 


John  B.  Peelle's  Man  Utilizing  the  Ewe's  Spare  Milk  After  Her 
Lamb  Has  Gone  to  Market. 

The  first  question  is  most  important  of  all.  The  best  and 
only  remunerative  market  for  hothouse  lambs  is  during  the 
first  ten  weeks  of  the  year,  so  the  lambs  must  be  here  before 
the  snow  flies  if  we  want  large  profits.  The  October  lamb 
is  too  early  and  will  only  sell  as  a  lamb  and  not  as  a  fancy 
product,  and  the  late  January  and  February  lambs  are  too 
late  in  the  season  for  the  high  prices. 


50  THE  WINTER   LAMB. 

So  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  learn  the  Dorsets  and  their 
grades  are  the  only  breed  of  sheep  that  will  breed  with  any 
reliability  at  the  right  time.  The  hot  weather  that  causes 
most  sheep  to  miss  the  oestrual  period  does  not  seem  to  affect 
the  Dorsets.  In  fact,  the  mating  often  occurs  during  the 
hottest  of  hot  weather.  Twenty-four  lambs  is  the  record  of 
one  of  our  Dorset  rams  on  one  of  the  hottest  of  June  days, 
and  this  occurred  in  a  flock  of  fifty  ewes. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  no  other  variety  of  sheep  will  breed 
in  hot  weather,  but  that  the  Dorsets  will  breed  more  readily 
and  uniformly  than  any  other.  If  the  lambs  come  scatter- 
ing along  all  winter  they  are  a  constant  care  and  worry,  but 
when  they  come  in  a  shower,  as  ours  usually  do^  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  care  for  them.. 

In  regard  to  the  number  of  lambs  produced,  single  lambs 
from  mature  ewes  are  the  exception.  Triplets  are  common. 
Thomas  Shaw  says :  "The  Dorsets  will  probably  drop  and 
raise  more  lambs  than  any  other  breed." 

As  Milkers — The  Dorset  or  grade  always  has  an  abund- 
ance of  milk.  Some  are  such  persistent  milkers  that  it  takes 
several  weeks  to  dry  them  up,  but  this  is  a  good  thing  for 
pets  and  thieves  (see  cut  preceding  page).  It  is  easy  to  teach 
the  lambs  whose  supply  is  short  to  come  at  the  call.  I  mean 
the  twins,  triplets,  and  those  whose  mothers  are  out  of  con- 
dition, and  then,  while  you  hold  the  ewe,  the  lambs  do  the 
rest.  Often  the  best  milking  ewe  can  be  made  to  raise  an- 
other lamb  after  her  own  goes  to  market. 

Recapitulation — The  virtues  of  the  grade  Dorset  may  be 
summed  up  as  follows :  She  has  size  and  that  counts  when 
she  is  put  on  the  market  as  mutton.  She  has  constitution 
and  vigor,  and  that  means  long  life  and  lots  of  service.  A 
nine-year-old  gummer  raised  the  best  part  of  lambs  we  had 
this  year.  It  is  no  burden  to  shell  corn  for  her.  She  is 
a  good  rustler.  One  season's  experience  showed  us  that  the 
Dorsets  and  Merinos  have  no  business  in  the  same  barn. 


THE   WINTER    LAMB. 


51 


The  Merinos  simply  had  no  show  in  the  rush  for  feed.  She 
will  produce  her  lambs  at  the  proper  time  for  them  to  reach 
the  market  when  prices  are  highest.  She  is  a  fluent  milker, 
the  more  milk  the  quicker  the  lamb  goes  to  market.  Our 
best  ewes,  if  perchance  they  have  single  lambs,  will  have 
them  ready  for  market  in  less  than  fifty  days. 


BUILDINGS. 

One  can  do  with  a  very  common  and  cheap  building  or 
he  can  use  a  good,  warm,  convenient  building  to  good 
advantage.  The  more  expensive  buildings  are  needed  in 
the  cold,  frozen  North;  in  the  South  very  slight  protection 
agamst  cold  is  needed,  but  wet  is  to  be  guarded  against. 
A  safe  rule  is  never  to  allow  the  flock  to  suflfer  a  wetting, 
unless  the  wool  is  very  short  at  the  time.  It  is  a  very 
depressing  thing  to  a  sheep  to  carry  about  a  wet  fleece,  and 
unfortunately  not  all  or  many  sheep  know  enough  to  come 
in  out  of  the  rain.  The  illustration  of  the  barn  at  Wood- 
land Farm  (page  12)  shows  one  type  well  adapted  to  a 
Southern  situation.  The  barn  is  36  feet  square,  18  feet 
to  the   eaves,   with  a  half-pitch  roof  and  an  open  center. 

3 


Plan  of  Barn  at  Fillmore  Farms. 


52 


THE   WINTER   LAMB. 


The  lower  story  is  8  feet  in  the  clear  and  divided  by 
means  of  racks  into  compartments  as  desired.  It  will  be 
seen  that  it  is  light  and  airy  and  cool  in  summer,  and  when 
the  doors  are  let  down  it  is  fairly  warm  in  winter.  This 
barn  cost  to  build  less  than  $200,  with  a  good  shingle 
roof,  no  floor  but  natural  earth  below  and  rough  flooring 
for  the  mow.  It  accommodates  fairly  well  about  75  ewes 
and  their  lambs.  The  hay  is  taken  in  from  the  end  and 
the  open  doorway  is  turned  to  the  southeast,  so  that  little 
or  no  storm  ever  blows  in.  It  could  easily  be  closed, 
however. 


1 

1 

1 

i*           ■      ^ 

.    — * 

THE  BARN  AT  FILMORE  FARMS. 


Fillmore  Farms  (W.  G.  Appleby,  Manager,  Benning- 
ton, Vt.),  Mr.  Colegate's  place,  has  an  ideal  large  barn  for 
cool  climate.  The  ground  plan  shows  quite  clearly  the 
arrangement  of  the  lower  story,  45x100  feet.  This  barn 
shuts  up  tight  in  cold  weather,  four  ventilation  shafts  run 
up  the  purlin  posts  and  then  to  cupolas,  taking  off  the  foul 


THE   WINTER   LAMB. 


53 


air  and  not  making  drafts.  The  outer  doors  slide,  and 
there  are  slatted  doors  that  also  slide  up  out  of  the  way; 
when  it  is  warm  the  solid  doors  are  back  and  the  slatted 
ones  in  place.  The  root  house  is  not  a  cellar,  though  dug 
down  the  depth  of  the  foundation,  but  is  doubie  boarded, 
with  paper  between  and  two  air  spaces,  and  is  frost  proof. 
It  is  convenient  to  store  wool  in,  and  in  the  feed  room  is  a 
good  shearing  floor.  The  passage  is  a  handy  place  to  pen 
and  catch  sheep  when  shearing. 

The  feed  racks  used  on  Fillmore  Farms,  the  Tranquillity 


f/t.6ih 


!^t,/oifi. 


BfOc/(  tc^^QrK)  Of? 


Diagram  of  Combination  Feeder. 

some    other   places    are    illustrated 


Farms  and  some  other  places  are  illustrated  herewith. 
There  is  probably  nothing  better  for  Dorsets,  as  the  lambs 
cannot  soil  the  hay  nor  are  horns  broken  in  this  rack.  Here 
are  the  specifications : 

Trough  is  6  inches  wide  at  bottom — 14  inches  at  top,  on 
slant. 


54 


THE  WINTER   LAMB. 


Trough  is  7  inches  high  at  front — 1 1  inches  at  back. 

Slats  2  inches  wide,  i  inch  thick,  rounded  shghtly  at 
corners. 

Spaces  between  slats  3  inches. 

Slanting  board  at  bottom  of  rack  i  inch  thick. 

Slats  are  of  hard  wood ;  rest  of  trough  may  be  soft 
wood  or  not,  according  to  price,  etc. 

Front  board  of  trough  is  beveled  at  top. 

Frame  2x3  or  3x3. 

Trough  may  be  made  any  length  to  fit  spaces,  or  in  8, 
ID  or  12  foot  lengths,  to  be  easily  moved  around,  and  back 
to  back  they  make  partition  with  feed  trough  and  rack  on 
each  side ;  or  can  be  put  out  doors  and  make  yard  with 
rack,  etc. 

Cheapest  in  end.  Last  forever.  No  waste  hay.  Feed 
roots,  grain  or  anything  without  loss. 


Combination  Feeder. 


THE   WINTER    LAMB. 


55 


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56 


THE  WINTER    LAMB. 


The  Ideal  Low=Cost  Sheep  House. 

I'^or  the  following  plan  we  are  indebted  to  the  Breeder's 
Gazette,  where  it  is  illustrated  in  issue  of  April  lo,  igoi- 


THE  WINTER   LAMB. 


57 


58 


*  Ail!.  COLLEGE  UBRAW, 


THE   WINTER    LAMB. 


It  combines  low  cost  with  convenience  and  usefulness  of 
higli  order.  The  building  is  20  feet  wide,  as  long  as  de- 
sired, 16  feet  high  at  the  eaves,  with  a  lower  story  8  feet 
in  the  clear  and  an  upper  story  with  half-pitch  roof  and 
15  feet  in  height  at  the  peak.  There  are  no  obstructing 
cross-ties  and  the  hay  carrier  works  on  the  track  in  the 
peak  without  hindrance.  The  floor  joists  are  put  in  length- 
ways of  the  building  and  are  of  2x8  or  2x10  while  the 
joist-bearers  are  2x16,  and  the  manner  of  spiking  through 
the  joist-bearers  into  the  ends  of  the  floor  joists 
making  the  upper  edges  flush  saves  quite  a  good  deal  of 
head  room.  This  is  clearly  illustrated  in  the  cut;  the  floor 
joists  are  spiked  to  the  joist-bearers  before  it  is  let  down 
to  place,  then  all  is  firmly  spiked  together.  No  floor  is 
used  but  the  hard  earth,  which  is  better  if  rounded  up  a 
little  so  that  water  will  run  away  from  all  sides,  and  a  gen- 
erous projection  of  rafters  helps  the  appearance  and  the 
usefulness  materially.  There  are  no  divisions  to  the  house 
except  such  as  are  made  by  the  placing  of  racks  or  panels 
across.  Hay  is  thrown  down  at  convenient  places  through 
chutes  reaching  up  to  the  rafters,  and  at  the  bottom  a  pen 
of  hurdles  should  restrain  the  sheep  from  getting  on  the 
hay  as  it  is  thrown  down. 


HOW  THE  SAJH 
0PEN3,ANP 

JHl/TS 


Device  for  Opening  Sash- 
Ideal  Sheep  House. 


Putting  in  Floor  Joists— Ideal  Sheep  House 


THE   WINTER    LAMB.  59 

At  each  side  there  is  a  continuous  window  three  feet 
high  with  sash  and  glass  hinged  at  the  bottom  and  openmg 
inwardly  so  as  to  allow  a  continuous  stream  of  air  to  pass 
over  the  sheep.  These  sash  are  fastened  by  means  of  a 
jointed  rod  to  a  continuous  rod  running  through  the  barn, 
the  familiar  green-house  sash  fixtures,  and  by  turning  the 
rod  all  the  sash  are  opened  at  once,  either  a  tiny  crack  or 
wide  to  let  the  summer  breezes  through.  While  this  feature 
may  be  omitted  and  wooden  windows  opening  at  the  bottom 
and  hinged  at  the  top  be  substituted,  yet  I  think  the  satis- 
faction of  having  it  right  will  in  a  short  time  pay  for  the 
sash  and  fixtures,  which  may  be  had  of  any  builder  of 
green-houses. 

Doors  permit  the  driving  of  teams  clear  through  the 
building  to  clean  out  the  manure  and  the  over-hang  of  the 
roof  protects  the  upper  doorway  through  which  hay  is 
taken.  This  building  finished  well,  20x60,  should  cost 
about  $300. 


Dorsets  for  Crossing  and  on  the  Range. 

While  the  Down  ram  on  the  Dorset  ewe  gets  fine  lambs, 
yet  the  reverse  cross  is  as  good,  Dorset  sire  on  Down  ewe. 
The  lambs  of  this  cross  grow  very  rapidly  and  fatten  very 
easily  and  are  usually  hornless  with  white  or  gray  faces. 
A  neighbor  who  used  one  of  our  Dorset  rams  on  pure-bred 
Shropshire  ewes  lambed  in  May,  sold  the  lambs  before 
Christmas  at  115  pounds  average  weight,  from  grass  with 
a  trifle  of  grain  at  the  latter  end  of  their  feeding. 

On  the  range  the  Dorset  is  new  yet,  but  wherever  tried 
the  lambs,  usually  from  grade  Merino  ewes,  have  been 
more  than  satisfactory.  In  Colorado,  L.  E.  Thompson,  of 
Las  Animas,  reports  that  his  grade  Dorset  lambs  are  first 
to  become  fat  and  go  to  market.  They  are  in  demand 
among  Colorado  lamb  feeders  wherever  they  have  become 


6o 


THE   WINTER    LAMB. 


known.  The  Range  A'alley  Cattle  Co.,  of  Woodside,  Utah, 
has  this  season  a  lot  of  grade  Dorset  lambs,  in  comparison 
with  lambs  from  Shropshire  and  Rambouillet  sires.  The 
Dorsets  are  much  the  most  blockv,  smooth  and  heaviest,  the 
best  sellers.  There  is  need,  however,  of  care  in  taking 
Dorset  rams  to  the  ranges ;  they  ought  to  be  young  and  they 


Prize  Winners  at  the  Royai,     Dorset-SnroFshire  Cross  Breds. 


ought  to  be  sent  to  the  ''buck  herd"  at  least  a  month  before 
needed  to  get  accustomed  to  range  life.  It  would  even  be 
better  if  they  were  grown  on  the  range.  There  is  no  sheep 
such  a  rustler  as  the  Dorset,  and  this  makes  hmi  pre- 
eminently suited  to  range  conditions.  The  ranch  that  is 
marketing  feeders  or  fat  lambs  cannot  afford  to  overlook 
the  Dorset. 

There  is  another  use  for  the  Dorset  blood  on  the  range  to 
infuse  good  milking  properties  into  ^Merino  flocks.  Even 
a  small  percent  of  Dorset  blood  in  the  ewe  makes  her  a 
good  mother  and  profuse  milker,  and  her  lamb  therefore  a 
good  one.  It  is  unfortunately  true  that  many  flocks  of 
Alerinos  are  poor  milkers,  some  so  markedlv  so  as  to  be 
quite    unprofitable;    there    an    infusion    of    Dorset    blood 


THE   WINTER   LAMB. 


6i 


will  work  a  revolution,  for  while  it  will  not  cut  down  the 
pounds  of  scoured  wool  it  will  add  to  the  size,  hardiness 
and  mutton  qualities  of  the  flock.  The  grade  Dorset  ewe 
has  proved  herself  in  Texas,  Colorado,  Utah,  Wyoming, 
California,  Washington  and  Oregon  to  be  the  best  of  all 
rustlers  and  mothers,  producing  always  the  strongest  and 
larsrest  lambs. 


AS  THE,  HWE,  LAMBS 

it  is  well  to  have  some 
clcse  pens  for  use  m 
cold  weather ;  these 
may  be  made  of 
matched  lumber  6  or 
8  feet  square,  and  a 
very  little  ventilation 
will  suffice.  By  put- 
ting a  ewe  in  here  and 
hanging  up  a  lantern 
above  her,  her  lamb 
will  not  chill  in  the 
roldest  night.  Some- 
times one  can  tell 
when  a  ewe  is  about  to  lamb  and  separate  her  from  the 
flock.  This  is  not  always  practicable,  however,  for  many 
ewes  will  apparently  be  all  ready  for  weeks  and  others 
that  have  made  little  show  will  lamb  before  them.  Let 
them  alone  at  lambing  time,  yet  keep  near  by  and  watch 
them.  If  they  have  not  been  frightened  by  dogs  or  crowded 
through  gates  they  may  not  have  wrong  presentations  and 
the  lambing  gives  no  trouble,  especially  is  the  danger  of 
trouble  lessened  if  the  ewes  are  strong  but  not  too  fat  and 
have  plenty  of  out-door  exercise.  Yet  now  and 
then  a  lamb  will  be  presented  wrong  and  your  help  will  be 


The  Ewe  that  Won  Over  All  Breeds  at  Omaha. 


62  THE   WINTER  LAMB. 

needed.  The  right  presentation  is  head  first,  front  feet 
on  each  side.  Hind  feet  first  can  be  taken  with  no  harm 
to  lamb  or  ewe.  Other  presentations  must  be  straightened 
out.  Don't  wait  too  long  to  do  this ;  be  slow,  careful,  think 
what  you  are  doing,  use  plenty  of  lard  on  your  hand,  and 
you  may  save  a  valuable  ewe  and  her  lamb,  too. 

A  CHILLED  LAMB 

will  be  found  now  and  then.  If  it  is  too  stiff  to  suck 
take  it  at  once  to  a  large  bucket  of  hot  water,  not  warm 
water,  but  hot  as  you  can  bear  your  hand  in.  Immerse 
him  all  but  his  nose.  Put  in  more  hot  water  after  he  has 
cooled  it  off.  I  have  revived  them  after  they  were  appar- 
ently dead.  Dry  thoroughly,  perhaps  give  a  wee  drop  of 
whisky,  then  the  mother's  milk.  Don't  ever  give  anything 
but  the  mother/s  milk  if  you  can  avoid  it.  If  you  must 
give  cow's  milk,  dilute  it  half  with  warm  water  and  add  a 
tiny  bit  of  sugar.  A  lamb  that  can't  have  a  good  lot  of 
some  ewe's  first  milk  is  not  apt  to  live. 

Another  handy  thing  for  lambs  not  so  badly  chilled  is 
a  half  barrel  with  a  lantern  or  jug  of  hot  water  in  it  and 
a  blanket  thrown  across  it.  When  the  ewe  has  twins  you 
can  keep  one  warm  while  she  is  licking  off  its  mate.  Once 
dry  and  full  of  milk  there  is  not  much  danger  of  chilling 
in  the  most  severe  weather. 

In  lambing  a  lot  of  ewes  in  cold  weather  one  loses  very 
few  lambs  if  he  will  go  to  the  fold  at  lo  in  the  evening 
and  again  at  4  in  the  morning.  If  the  .lambs  are  sired  by 
a  vigorous  ram,  and  the  ewes  treated  right,  not  one  lamb  in 
ten  will  need  your  attention  or  help.  First  lambs  are  often 
more  trouble.  But  remember,  ALWAYS  milk  out  the  ewe 
after  the  lamb  has  filled  up,  and  do  this  not  once  but  daily 
for  a  week  if  she  has  surplus  milk.  Stagnant  milk  in  a 
gorged  udder  is  surely  fatal  to  the  lamb.     And  Dorset  ewes, 


THE  WINTER  LAMB.  63 

if  rightly  fed,  are  great  milkers.  It  is  more  trouble  at 
first  Dut  when  the  lamb  does  take  it,  what  a  pleasure  to 
see  nim  swell  and  grow ! 

If  you  have  a  large  number  of  ewes  to  lamb  in  winter 
you  should  provide  a  lot  of  pens,  about  4  or  6  feet 
square.  These  are  best  made  of  little  panels  3  feet  high 
and  4  feet  long,  hinge  two  of  them  together  at  one  end 
and  then  they  shut  up  and  lay  away  until  needed,  when 
they  are  opened  out  and  hooked  to  the  corner  of  the  barn, 
enclosing  a  space  4  or  6  feet   square.     Another  pen  goes 


Panels  Opened    I  To  Make  Pen. 


L 


alongside,  and  so  on  as  there  is  need.  Ewes  with  twin 
lambs  ought  always  to  have  one  of  these  pens  to  keep  her 
family  together  until  they  know  her. 

TRANSFERRING  LAMBS. 

Supposing  you  have  a  ewe  that  loses  her  young  lamb, 
you  should  at  once  remove  its  skin,  taking  it  off  as  near 
whole  as  you  can,  rub  it  dry  on  the  flesh  side  and  sprinkle 
it  with  salt,  take  a  twin  lamb  that  needs  more  milk  and 
slip  it  into  this  skin,  put  the  ewe  and  odd  lamb  in  a  pen 
together,  and  the  chances  are  mighty  good  that  she  will 
adopt  the  stranger  with  joy.  After  a  few  days  the  skin 
may  be  removed,  though  it  is  well  to  take  it  off  a  piece  at 
a  time. 

If  the  ewe  has  a  large  lamb  to  die  this  plan  may  not 
work,  but  to  put  her  in  a  pen  and  confine  her  head  between 
stanchions,  which  may  be  two  small  round  stakes  driven 
into  the  earth  and  confined  at  the  top  with  a  cord,  will  be 
the  surest  and  easiest  plan.  Turn  the  lamb  with  her;  she 
cannot  refuse  to  let  it  suck.     After  a  time,  when  her  milk 


64 


THE    WINTER   LAMB. 


has  given  it  a  new  odor,  she  will  own  it.     This  takes  from 
two  days  to  a  week. 

ALWAYS  separate  the  ewes  with  lambs  from  the  ewes 
yet  to  lamb.  You  can't  feed  the  same  ration  to  eacii  lot 
with  success. 


Woodland  Dorsets  on  Alfalfa. 


THE,  WINTER  LAMB. 

By  H.  P.  ^lillcr. 

About  ten  years  ago  I  first  learned  that  a  few  men  in 
New  York  were  raising  what  were  called  "hot-house*' 
lambs,  which  they  sold  at  what  seemed  to  me  fabulous 
prices.  They  were  said  to  get  eight  to  ten  dollars  each  for 
lambs  as  many  weeks  old  when  hog-dressed  and  sent  to 
New  York  City.     I  thought  the  demand  only  a  passing  one 


THE   WINTER   LAMB.  65 

and  that  the  supply  would  soon  exceed  it,  so  was  slow  to 
engage   in   it.     There   were   other   reasons   for  my   delay. 
Dressing  them   seemed   to  demand   the  services  of   an 
expert.     I  could  dress  a  sheep  for  our  own  use,  but  I  was 
not   an   expert  butcher.     Then   the   distance   from  Central 
Ohio  to  New  York  City  seemed  too  great  to  safely  send 
dressed  meat.     Again   I   did  not  see  how   I  could  find  a 
market  for  them.     I  did  not  realize  that  they  were  a  regular 
product    upon    the    provision    market    and    could    be    sold 
through  commission  merchants.     But  the  prices  that  were 
obtained  year  after  year  by  those  engaged  in  growing  this 
product  incited  me  to  read  everything  I  could  find  about  the 
business.     I  found  that  the  market  was  increasing,  that  I 
was  only  a  few  hours  from  New  York,  that  some  commis- 
sion merchants  were  as  honorable  as  men  in  other  business. 
I  finally  had  the  whole  theory  but  did  not  have  the  Iambs. 
We  had  from  my  earliest  recollection  been  growing  Merinos 
of  the  Delaine  type,  having  the  lambs  born  in  March  and 
April.     We  let  a  flock  of  ewes  run  over  one  fall  without 
breeding,    and   turned    the    ram   with    them   the    following 
Spring.     We  found   they  conceived  as  well  in  May  as  in 
October.     Bear   in  mind  our  ewes   at  that  time   were  all 
pure  Merinos  of  the  Delaine  type.     A  further  surprise,  and 
one  quite  as  agreeable,  was  that  the  lambs  born  in  the  fall 
grew  more   rapidly  and   when  sent  to  market  at  three  to 
four  months   old   brought   more   than   lambs   of   the  same 
breeding  born  six  to  eight  months  earlier.     Still  we  did  not 
get  the  prices  we  had  read  about.     We  used  a  mutton  sire 
of  a  Down   breed,  but   our  lambs  were   not  prime.     The 
lambs  had  too  much  wool  before  they  had  size  or  were  fat 
enough.    The  ewes  were  not  good  enough  sucklers  to  make 
the  lambs  choice.     It  seemed  reasonable  that  the  pure  or 
grade  mutton  breeds  would  be  more  profitable  for  this  busi- 
ness.    We  provided   ourselves   with   small   flocks  of  three 


66  THE    WINTER   LAMB. 

of  the  leading-  mutton  breeds,  but  February,  with  an  occa- 
sional lamb  in  January,  was  as  early  as  we  could  get  lambs 
from  them.    That  was  not  early  enough  for  best  prices. 

One  year  I  tried  twenty-five  young  Merino-Southdown 
t-wes,  putting  them  with  an  equal  number  of  pure  Merinos, 
and  turned  ram  with  them  in  June.  The  first  lamb  from 
the  cross-bred  ewes  was  dropped  in  March,  after  most  of 
the  lambs  from  the  Merinos  were  marketed. 

We  had  before  this  learned  the  merits  of  the  Dorset 
and  had  secured  a  ram.  The  half-blood  lambs  pleased  us 
in  appearance  and  in  profits.  The  next  step  was  to  get  some 
half-blood  ewes.  We  have  them,  use  them  and  are  satisfied. 
The  Merino-Dorset  ewe  is  the  right  one  for  growing  winter 
lambs. 

May  is  a  favorite  month  with  me  for  breeding.  I  would 
prefer  to  breed  a  month  or  six  weeks  later,  but  the  ewes  or 
ra-m,  or  both,  are  not  so  favorable  to  it.  I  would  prefer 
not  to  have  the  lambs  born  until  the  ewes  go  to  their  winter 
quarters.  The  lambs  then  entirely  escape  the  stomach 
worms  and  they  can  be  gotten  to  eating  grain  younger.  The 
only  special  treatment  I  have  found  necessary  to  induce  the 
ewes  to  breed  is  such  care  as  will  insure  improvement  in 
condition.  They  do  not  need  to  be  fat,  but  should  be 
GETTING  fat.  Indeed,  I  have  found  it  advisable  to  put 
the  ewes  on  a  very  light,  dry  ration  as  their  lambs  are 
slaughtered  so  as  to  reduce  their  condition.  Then  remove 
their  fleeces  with  the  first  settled  warm  weather  in  April  and 
turn  upon  good  pasture. 

I  endorse  the  recommendation  given  on  page  8  in  refer- 
ence to  breeding,  but  it  is  not  always  practical  to  remove 
the  ram  every  morning  and  return  him  to  the  flock  in  the 
evening.  You  can  change  rams  once  a  week,  or  if  rams 
are  cheaper  than  your  own  time,  place  two. with  the  flock  at 
once.     Tealousv  will  incite  them  to  watch  the  flock  closelv. 


THE  WINTER    LAMB.  67 

This,  of  course,  is  hard  on  the  rams,  and  recommended  only 
as  an  expedient.  At  this  point  re-read  the  chapter  on 
"Summer  Care  of  Pregnant  Ewes."  As  the  lambs  appear 
remove  them  with  their  mothers  from  the  main  flock.  With 
the  Dorset  and  grade  Dorset  ewes,  if  they  should  have  but 
a  single  lamb  their  udders  will  need  to  be  watched  for 
the  first  week  and  surplus  milk  removed.  There  will  nearly 
always  be  some  lambs  in  the  flock  that  will  need  it  and  will 
quickly  learn  to  take  it  as  shown  on  page  49.  As  soon  as 
the  lambs  are  taking  all  of  their  mother's  milk  feed  the 
ewes  to  produce  all  the  milk  they  will  take.  The  ewes  need 
a  milk  cow's  ration.  So  long  as  the  grass  remains  good, 
supplement  it  with  corn,  oats  or  barley  and  wheat  bran ;  or 
substitute  for  the  latter  the  gluten  feed  in  small  quantity. 
It  is  worth  about  twice  what  wheat  bran  is  to  feed  in  con- 
nection with  corn  and  should  be  mixed  with  com  in  pro- 
portion of  one  to  two. 

The  lambs  will  begin  to  eat  at  about  three  weeks  of  age, 
some  of  them  younger.  There  is  nothing  they  like  better 
than  cracked  corn  and  wheat  bran.  We  occasionally  add  to 
this  combination  oats,  barley  or  gluten  meal  or  feed.  A 
variety  induces  them  to  eat  more,  and  the  more  the  better 
at  this  early  age.  I  have  never  known  one  to  over  eat.  We 
formerly  used  a  self-feeder — that  is,  a  trough  so  devised 
that  the  feed  becomes  accessible  as  fast  as  eaten,  but  have 
discarded  it  as  the  feed  is  liable  to  become  foul.  We  find 
the  lambs  do  better  if  the  feed  is  given  them  fresh  in  a 
clean  trough  three  times  a  day.  Nice  clover  hay  is  almost 
indispensable  for  both  ewes  and  lambs.  Alfalfa  or  soy  bean 
hay  may  be  substituted.  The  lambs  must  not  be  compelled 
to  eat  their  hay  close.  It  must  be  changed  three  or  four 
times  a  day.  The  little  lambs  as  well  as  their  mothers  need 
to  have  both  salt  and  water  accessible.  We  have  fed  ensi- 
lage three  winters  with  entire  satisfaction.  Indeed,  we 
would  not  think  of  trying  to  raise  winter  lambs  without  it. 


68  THE   WINTER   LAMB. 

It  is  altogether  the  cheapest  feed  we  can  prepare,  is  rehshed 
perfectly  by  the  sheep  and  little  lambs  as  well,  and  it  makes 
fat  lambs.  We  feed  it  twice  a  day  with  a  little  gluten  meal 
sprinkled  over  it.  With  a  light  feed  of  hay  once  a  day  this 
constitutes  the  entire  ration  of  the  ewes  after  they  go  to 
winter  quarters.  Neither  the  ewes  nor  the  lambs  leave  the 
barn  from  the  time  they  enter  it  until  after  the  lambs  are 
slaughtered.  Some  other  nitrogenous  feed  might  be  sub- 
stituted for  the  gluten  meal.  The  determining  consideration 
is  the  cost.  The  term  "hot-house"  formerly  applied  to  these 
early  lambs  led  many  people  to  think  they  must  have  an 
artificially  heated  house.  This  is  not  necessary.  They  need 
a  stable  into  which  the  wind  cannot  blow,  one  with  con- 
siderable glass  on  the  south  and  west  sides.  But  the  stable 
does  not  want  to  be  closed  all  the  time,  only,  indeed,  upon 
very  cold  days.  Pure  air  is  essential.  If  the  air  is  ever 
noticeably  foul  on  entering  the  stable  from  the  outside  get 
some  pure  air  into  it  at  once.  To  prevent  the  escape  of 
ammonia  from  the  accumulating  manure  there  is  nothing 
else  as  effective  as  acidulated  phosphate  rock,  just  such  as 
is  sold  for  fertilizer.  The  free  sulphuric  acid  in  it  com- 
bines with  the  ammonia  in  a  somewhat  stable  combination, 
yet  one  that  is  available  as  plant  food,  so  that  the  fertilizer 
is  not  lost.  Bedding  should  be  used  in  sufficient  quantity- 
only  to  keep  the  stable  clean.  Any  excess  encourages  heat- 
ing. If  possible  have  the  lambs'  private  apartment  where 
they  are  fed  hay  and  grain  so  situated  that  the  direct  rays 
of  the  midday  sun  fall  into  it.  This  should  be  shut  off 
from  the  old  sheep  by  a  creep.  ]Make  this  of  slats  placed 
perpendicularly  8  to  lo  inches  apart.  Let  nothing  disturb 
the  lambs  or  their  mothers.  The  lambs  should  do  nothing 
but  eat  and  sleep,  not  even  play.  During  the  early  part  of 
the  season  forty-five  pounds  live  weight  is  large  enough. 
But   weight  is  not  the  only  consideration.     They  must  b? 


THE   WINTER   LAMB. 


69 


fat.  There  is  a  very  limited  call  for  them  for  Christmas 
dinner,  but  the  general  demand  opens  after  the  people 
have  recovered  from  the  poultry  glut  of  the  holidays.  The 
demand  for  them  continues  strong  until  settled  warm 
weather. 

Arrangements  should  be  made  with  some  reliable  com- 
mission firm  unless  fortunate  enough  to  get  a  good  private 
customer.     The   commission  charged   is  5   per  cent.     They 


A  Pen  of  Royal  Winners. — (Courtesy  Farmers'  Advocate.) 

must  be  shipped  to  arrive  at  the  commission  store  as  early 
as  Friday  morning.  We  formerly  shipped  by  express  at 
the  rate  of  $1.50  per  hundred,  but  the  past  year  they  went 
through  in  equally  good  condition  by  refrigerator  freight 
at  just  half  the  charge. 

The  preparation  for  market  requires  some  skill,  yet  only 
such  as  almost  anyone  can  develop  after  carefully  studying 


yO  THE   WINTER   LAMB. 

directions.      We    have    greatly    simplified    onr    method    of 
preparation  and  the  lambs  apparently  sell  as  well. 

It  is  very  important  to  have  them  thoroughly  bled  out. 
To  secure  this  we  have  found  it  advantageous  to  suspend 
the  lamb  by  the  hind  feet  in  killing.  Suspend  a  short 
single-tree  about  six  feet  from  the  ground.  Loop  a  small 
rope  or  strong  twine  about  each  hind  leg  and  attach  to  the 
hooks  of  the  single-tree.  With  a  sharp-pointed  knife  sever 
the  artery  and  vein  in  the  neck  close  above  the  head.  Be 
sure  to  sever  the  artery.  Bright  red  blood  is  the  assurance. 
The  venous  blood  is  dark.  Severing  the  head  with  a  broad- 
ax  would  perhaps  cause  less  suffering  and  insure  a  thor- 
ough bleeding.  I  remove  the  head  with  a  knife  as  soon  as 
the  lamb  quits  struggling.  Clip  the  wool  from  the  brisket. 
and  strip  four  or  five  inches  wide  upward  to  the  udder  or 
scrotum,  also  from  between  the  hind  legs  as  in  taggmg 
sheep.  Now  open  the  lamb  from  the  tail  to  the  brisket. 
Slit  the  skin  up  the  inside  of  the  hindquarters  about  four 
inches  and  loosen  the  skin  from  the  underlying  muscles  for 
two  inches  on  either  side  of  the  openings  in  the  skin  for 
the  attachment  of  the  caul  fat.  This  should  be  removed 
from  the  stomachs  before  they  are  detached,  and  in  very 
cold  weather  placed  in  warm  water  until  ready  to  be  used. 
Next  remove  the  stomach  and  intestines.  In  the  early 
part  of  the  season  the  liver,  heart  and  lungs  are  not 
removed,  but  when  the  weather  gets  warm  they  must  be. 
Carefully  spread  the  caul  fat  over  all  the  exposed  flesh. 
Good  toothpicks  should  be  provided  for  attaching  it  and 
holding  in  place.  Make  small  slits  in  it  over  the  kidneys 
and  pull  them  through.  This  part  of  the  work  is  the  one 
that  requires  skill  to  make  the  carcass  look  attractive.  Now 
hang  it  in  a  cool  place  for  12  to  24  hours.  In  extremely 
cold  weather  12  hours  will  be  enough,  but  better  make  24 
the  rule.     Then  neatly  sew  a  square  yard  of  clean  muslin 


THE    WINTER    LAMB.  Jf 

about  each  lamb  so  as  to  cover  all  exposed  surface.  We 
formerly  wrapped  each  one  in  burlap  and  attached  to  a 
stretcher,  but  now  place  three  in  a  light  crate  and  tack  the 
burlap  over  the  top.  We  line  the  crate  with  heavy  paper. 
Prepare  them  as  shortly  before  shipf)ing  as  possible.  In 
warm  weather  ice  may  be  put  between  the  lambs,  not  in 
them.  Send  them  as  they  are  ready,  three  or  six  at  a  tmie. 
The  market  varies  greatly,  depending  upon  weather  and 
the  number  arriving.  It  is  useless  to  try  to  get  them  all  in 
on  a  high  market.  Aim  to  slaughter  regularly  each  week 
if  you  have  lambs  in  condition,  and  keep  your  commission 
tirm  informed  as  to  how  many  you  will  probably  send  and 
when. 

Attention  to  details  is  the  secret  of  success. 

A     SYSTEM     OF     MANAGE:MENT     THAT     INSURES     A     HEALTHY 

FLOCK 

Two  men  in  America  fought  stomach  worms  all  through 
the  disastrous  years  of  the  90s,  when  little  was  known  to 
heip ;  they  found  light,  they  conquered  the  pests  in  a  meas- 
ure, and  kept  on  keeping  sheep  and  studying  flock  manage- 
ment. Finally  each  made  a  journey  to  England  and  studied 
the  conditions  there  with  a  view  to  solving  the  problem  for 
America.  There  they  found  hurdling  the  best  answer  to 
the  question.  Independently  of  each  other  they  reached  the 
same  conclusions  as  to  the  practical  solution  of  the  question 
in  America.  Dr.  H.  B.  Arbuckle  of  West  Mrginia  and  the 
writer  were  the  two  men.  But  they  wish  to  give  all  due 
credit  to  the  Department  of  Zoology  of  the  Bureau  of  Ani- 
mal Industry  at  Washington  for  at  least  giving  accurate  de- 
tails of  the  history  of  the  H^emonchus  contortus  (for- 
merely  called  Strongylus  contortus)  for  without  the  details 
that  we  now  have  no  certain  plan  could  have  been  formu- 
lated. 


y2  THE    WINTER    LAMH. 

The  basis  of  this  plan  is  the  fact  that  lambs  are  born 
free  from  parasitic  infection ;  they  are  healthy.  It  is  only 
necessary  to  keep  them  healthy  by  preventing  infection. 
Their  mothers  carry  over  in  their  bodies  the  germs  that  v^all 
infect  them  in  the  form  of  mature  stomach  worms,  which 
when  ripe  pass  away  in  the  droppings  and  thus  infect 
the  pasture.  \Mien  the  temperature  is  below  40  degrees  the 
eggs  will  not  hatch.  When  it  is  above  that  tl":y  will  hatch 
out  in  a  few  hours  or  in  a  week  or  so,  dependmg  upon  how 
warm  it  is.  Freezing  or  drying  soon  kills  the  unhatched 
eggs.  So  it  is  seen  that  ewes  will  not  pollute  a  field  in 
winter,  their  droppings  are  sure  to  be  soon  frozen,  at  least 
in  rhe  region  where  sheep  are  mostly  kept.  But  if  the  tiny 
worm  hatches  from  the  ^^g  it  feeds  for  a  time  upon  the 
material  of  the  manure  and  continues  to  grow  till  it  is 
about  one-thirtieth  of  an  inch  long.  Then  it  creeps  up  on 
a  blade  of  grass  and  waits  to  be  swallowed  by  some  lamb, 
after  that  it  finishes  its  growth  within  the  fourth  stomach 
of  the  lamb,  and,  incidentally,  finishes  the  lamb  as  well. 

Now  how  to  manage  a  flock  with  safety  and  profit  on 
natural  grass.  To  begin  with  the  ewe  flock  should  be  treat- 
ed for  stomach  worms.  This  is  best  done  in  the  fall,  when 
they  come  from  pasture.  It  may  be  again  done  in  the  spring 
before  their  lambs  come.  Remedies  for  treatment  will  be 
found  under  the  heading  ''Diseases  of  Sheep."  The  writer 
is  of  the  opinion  that  use  of  some  of  the  coal  tar  dips,  in 
small  doses,  much  diluted,  will  eventually  be  recognized  as 
most  efficient.  This  treatment  alone  has  doul:,le'I  rhe  weight 
of  lambs  in  some  experiments  in  Kentucky.  Next,  the  flock 
should  at  the  approach  of  spring  weather  be  confined  to  the 
yard  and  shed.  There  are  two  reasons  for  this ;  the  one  that 
it  is  better  for  the  grass,  and  thus  in  the  long  run  better  for 
the  flock,  and  the  other  that  there  is  no  contamination  of  land 
over  which  the  lambs  will  later  feed.     If  it  were  possible 


THE    WINTER    LAMB.  73 

to  wholly  eradicate  the  worms  from  the  ewes  by  treatment 
this  care  would  not  be  needed,  but  unfortunately  it  seems 
almost  impossible  with  our  present  knowledge  to  kill  all  of 
the  worms  by  any  medication.  While  confined  to  the  yard 
the  lambs  will  probably  be  born.  It  is  essential  that  the 
flock  be  well  fed  at  this  time  so  that  the  ewes  will  be  full 
of  milk.  If  desired  there  may  be  provided  a  run  to  a  rye 
field,  or  to  some  grass  pasture  that  will  not  be  afterwards 
used  that  summer,  to  help  stimulate  the  milk  flow.  By 
May  15  probably  the  grass  will  be  so  forward  that  the  flock 
may  be  turned  out  for  good.  Now  begins  the  new  manage- 
ment. Instead  of  turning  the  flock  to  a  large  pasture  to 
roam  over  it  at  will  turn  them  on  a  very  small  part  of  it. 
How  best  to  manage  this  will  depend  upon  circumstances. 
The  writer  thinks  that  in  our  land  of  small  supply  of  labor 
and  much  hurry  and  turmoil  during  the  summer  season  it 
is  safest  to  divide  the  pastures  by  permanent  wire  fences. 
These  are  not  costly  and  need  not  be  very  high.  We  will, 
then,  turn  the  whole  flock  together  into  the  first  division ; 
none  shall  be  scattered  about.  Of  course  there  may  be  two 
flocks,  one  with  lambs  and  a  dry  flock,  but  the  dry  flock 
had  better  be  put  apart  somewhere  or  else  put  with  the 
ewes.  It  will  not  do  to  let  anything  interfere  with  the  regu- 
lar rotation  of  these  pastures.  Now  once  in  this  pasture 
the  flock  will  be  allowed  to  eat  it  down  close  to  the  ground. 
That  will  not  hurt  the  grass,  for  all  will  go  in  a  short  time 
and  the  grass  may  spring  up  again.  This  is  how  pastures 
are  often  managed  in  England  by  hurdles. 

Dr.  Ransom  says  that  sheep  may  probably  be  safely  left 
on  May  pasture  for  two  weeks.  We  will  shorten  this  time 
to  ten  days,  to  make  sure.  That  is,  the  germs  falling  to 
the  earth  could  not  before  ten  days  find  their  way  back  into 
any  sheep  or  lamb,  and  we  are  going  to  move  the  flock  on 
before  they  are  able  to  get  in. 


74  THE    WINTER    LAMB. 

Now  in  the  division  between  this  pasture  and  the  next 
we  will  place  creeps  so  fixed  that  the  lambs  can  readily  pass 
through  to  the  next  enclosure.  This  the\-  will  early  learn 
to  do,  and  so  they  will  be  eating  the  fresher  parts  of  the 
herbage  in  advance  of  the  ewes. 

In  ten  days  then  the  whole  flock  will  go  forward  one 
pasture,  the  lambs  yet  having  access  to  the  fresher  feeding 
on  ahead.  Doctor  Ransom  says  we  will  need  for  this  sure 
treatment  the  following  divisions : 

For  May,  2  pastures. 

For  June,  4  pastures. 

For  July,  4  pastures. 

For  August.  4  pastures. 

For  September,  3  pastures. 

For  October,  2  pastures. 

That  makes  nineteen  enclosures  in  all  and  insures  that 
the  flock  shall  be  kept  in  absolute  freedom  from  infections 
throughout  the  year. 

However,  one  will  not  absolutely  need  so  many  enclos- 
ures as  that.  By  June  many  of  the  lambs  will  be  ripe,  by 
July  many  of  the  others,  and  even  when  the  lambs  are  born 
late,  when  managed  in  this  way  they  should  all  be  ripe  as 
peaches  by  the  middle  of  August.  After  the  lambs  are  gone 
the  ewes  can  be  managed  a  little  less  carefully,  especially  if 
they  are  in  strong  condition,  though  there  is  a  comfort  in 
knowing  that  every  stomach  worm  germ  that  falls  to  the 
earth  must  die  from  lack  of  a  host. 

To  make  this  thing  doubly  successful  put  flat  bottomed 
troughs  in  the  pastures  ahead,  where  the  lambs  run,  and 
put  feed  in  them  ;  any  sort  of  grain,  corn,  oats,  barley,  bran, 
coarse-ground  or  broken  cake  or  oil  meal.  Thus  the  lambs 
will  grow  like  weeds  and  pay  many  times  over  for  their 
grain.  Thus  more  sheep  may  be  carried  on  the  same  ground 
than  would  be  possible  under  ordinary  treatment.     There 


THE    WINTER    LAMB.  75 

Is  scarcely  any  limit  to  the  number  of  sheep  that  can  be 
safely  kept  on  an  eastern  farm  under  this  system  of  manage- 
ment.    The  limit  is,  of  course,  the  size  of  the  farm  and  the 
amount  of  grass.     Even  this  can  be  greatly  helped  by  soil- 
ing.    Racks. may  with  great  profit  be  placed  in  the  fields 
and  the  ewes  fed  with  green  crops,  fresh  mown  oats,  peas, 
clover  or  alfalfa.     Thus  twice  as  many  ewes  may  be  kept  as 
the   grass   alone  will   support.     The   writer   would   suggest 
that  about  400  ewes  would  keep  one  man  nicely  busy  in 
caring  for  them  and  their  lambs,  hauling  water  to  them, 
soiling  somewhat,  and   feeding  the  lambs.     He  would  not 
hesitate  to  undertake  the  management  of  400  ewes  on  one 
farm  in  any  part  of  the  corn  belt,  the  regions  most  infested 
with  stomach  worms.     There  is  no  business  more  sure  of 
profit  than  this.     Lambs  sell  remarkably  well  and  the  pros- 
pect is  that  as  the  western  ranges  are  diminished  that  they 
will  sell  better  for  the  ravages  of  the  stomach  worm  deter 
eastern   farmers   from   going   into   the  business.     The   two 
serious  obstacles  to  be  overcome  are:  first,  the  question  of 
water  and  next,  the  question  of  shade.     Water  is  readily 
hauled  in  mounted  tanks  as  it  is  usually  in  England.     Shade 
is   not   absolutely   essential.        The   writer    has    seen    very 
fat  sheep  in  the  San  Joaquin  valley  of  Cajifornia  confined 
to  the  alfalfa  meadows  and  with  no  shade  whatever.     Prob- 
ably a  system  of  canvas  sheds,  long  and  narrow,  would  not 
be   very    expensive   nor   too   troublesome    for   one   man   to 
move  and  set  up  unaided.     Any  sort  of  grass  will  serve. 
Kentucky   blue   grass    is   to   be   preferred,   perhaps   brome 
grass   (Bromus  inermis)   is  better,  clovers  may  be  utilized 
and  oats  sown  to  be  grazed  off,  with  peas. 

The  writer  does  not  hesitate  to  say  that  he  looks  for- 
ward to  seeing  many  sheep  farms  established  in  the  corn 
belt  each  carrving  from  200  to  500  ewes  and  managed 
nearlv  under  this  'svstem.     He  feels  confident  that  no  other 


76  THE    WINTER    LAMB. 

branch  of  the  Hve  stock  industry  holds  forth  better  pros- 
pects. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  earlier  the  lambs  are 
born  the  sooner  they  will  be  gone  to  market,  and  thus  the 
fewer  pastures  will  be  needed.  Also  the  market  is  usually 
best  in  June  and  July,  after  the  flood  of  fed  lambs  has  passed 
and  before  the  new  crop  from  the  ranges  has  started  to 
come. 

Besides  the  stomach  worm  there  is  the  worm  that  makes 
the  nodular  disease  of  the  intestines.  Any  observant  man 
who  has  dissected  a  mature  sheep  has  often  noticed  on  the 
small  intestines  little  nodules  or  "knots."  These  are  really 
small  tumors,  filled  with  a  greenish,  cheesy  substance.  They 
do  not  do  much  harm  when  they  are  few  in  number  but  the 
trouble  is  a  cumulative  one  and  the  numbers  of  the  nodules 
increase  until  after  a  time  digestion  and  absorption  are  much 
interfered  with.  Sometimes  parts  of  the  intestines  become 
calcified,  that  is.  so  impregnated  with  lime  salts  that  they 
are  almost  like  stone.  Death  ensues  in  a  longer  or  shorter 
time  from  the  nodular  disease.  It  does  not  work  quickly 
as  does  the  disease  caused  by  the  stomach  worm.  The  worm 
causing  these  tumors  is  called  oesophagostoma  columbi- 
anum. 

This  nodular  disease  is  a  hard  one  to  cure,  if  indeed  it 
is  possible  to  cure  it  at  all  after  it  is  established.  Pre- 
vention is  about  all  that  we  can  do.  Dr.  W.  H.  Dalrymple 
of  the  Louisiana  Experiment  Station  has  shown,  however. 
that  it  is  readily  communicable  from  aflfected  ewes  to  their 
lambs  through  the  medium  of  the  pasture.  He  has  also 
demonstrated  that  where  diseased  ewes  are  kept  confined  to 
the  barn  and  their  lambs  allowed  to  run  on  clean  pasture 
not  contaminated  by  the  presence  of  any  old  sheep,  the  lambs 
remain  healthy  and  thus  a  new  healthful  stock  can  be  had 
even  from  a  diseased  flock.     None  of  these  diseases  origi- 


THE    WINTER   LAMB.  J^ 

nates  spontaneously.  There  are  no  other  known  hosts  of 
these  diseases  than  sheep,  goats  and  perhaps  deer,  so  it  is 
merely  a  question  of  starting  with  the  lambs,  born  free  of 
all  parasites,  and  keeping  them  in  health  by  putting  them  on 
fresh  and  uninfected  pasture. 

In  this  little  manual  only  the  most  essential  things  have 
been  sought  to  be  presented.  The  flock  owner  who  wishes 
to  know  more  of  detail  of  management  is  advised  to  secure 
the  new  and  complete  book  by  Joseph  E.  Wing, called  "Sheep 
Farming  in  America."  It  is  published  by  the  Sanders  Pub- 
lishing Co.,  358  Dearborn  St.,  Chicago,  and  the  price  is 
$1.00.  This  book  is  very  fully  packed  with  practical  in- 
formation and  results  of  experience,  not  only  with  Dorsets 
but  with  other  breeds  and  crossbred  sheep. 


The  Continental  Dorset  Club  publishes  the  Hock  register 
for  pure-bred  Dorset  Horn  Sheep  in  America.  Information 
concerning  registration,  or  lists  of  breeders  in  America  may 
be  had  of  the  secretary,  Joseph  E.  Wing,  Woodland  Farm, 
Mechanicsburg,  Ohio. 


FINIS 


nWPERTr  LiBfiAhi 

n,  C.  Stofe  Colfege 

IB  AM.  COLLEGE  UBfJAfiy. 


